Ambassador Gilmore Expresses Support for President Trump and his Response to Civil Disturbances in the United States
PRESS RELEASE | June 2, 2020
Vienna – U.S. Ambassador James S. Gilmore today echoed President Donald Trump’s June 1st statement on the death of George Floyd, stating that everyone was rightly shocked and horrified by his brutal death. “I will never condone excessive use of force by the police,” the Ambassador underscored, “However, one of the policemen has already been arrested and charged and is due to face justice in a court of law.”
Gilmore also stressed the President’s demand for a stop to the rioting and arson and the need to quickly restore order in the United States. “The President has vowed to take swift and decisive action and he has called upon governors to do the same,” Gilmore said. As the former chairman of the U.S. Congressional Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities to Terrorism, also known as the Gilmore Commission, he reiterated that, “it is the obligation of local law enforcement, supported by their governors and local authorities, to restore order in their communities.”
As stated in the Helsinki Final Act, the foundational document of the OSCE, peaceful protestors should be able to march and make their voices heard, Gilmore asserted. “Those who break the law through acts of arson and looting, however, must be arrested and held accountable for their transgressions,” the Ambassador concluded.
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For additional information, please contact:
U.S. Mission to the OSCE
G. Michael Snyder, Counselor for Public Affairs
Email: SnyderGM[at]state.gov
