Trump orders National Guard to leave Washington as protests calm

US president claims everything under ‘perfect control’ after days of anti-racism protests; massive turnouts at marches around US, Europe

US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered the withdrawal of National Guard troops from the streets of Washington after days of protests over the police killing of George Floyd.

“I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, DC, now that everything is under perfect control,” he tweeted.

“They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!”

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser last week called on Trump to withdraw National Guard troops that some states sent to the city.

Protesters stretch for more than five blocks, from Scott Circle NW to H Street NW, during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd near the White House on June 6, 2020 in Washington, United States. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images/AFP)

Massive protests against police brutality nationwide on Saturday, with the largest in Washington, capped a week that began in chaos but ended with largely peaceful expressions that organizers hope will sustain their movement.

Saturday’s marches featured few reports of problems in scenes that were more often festive than tense. Authorities were not quick to release crowd size estimates, but it was clear tens of thousands of people — and perhaps hundreds of thousands — turned out nationally.

Wearing masks and urging fundamental change, protesters gathered in dozens of places from coast to coast while mourners in North Carolina waited for hours to glimpse the golden coffin carrying the body of native son George Floyd, the black man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police has galvanized the expanding movement.

Collectively, it was perhaps the largest one-day mobilization since Floyd died May 25 and came as many cities lifted curfews imposed following initial spasms of arson, assaults and smash-and-grab raids on businesses. Authorities have softened restrictions as the number of arrests plummeted.

A demonstrator holds a sign that reads “Justice For George” while standing at Freedom Plaza during a protest against police brutality and racism on June 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP)

Demonstrations also reached four other continents, ending in clashes in London and Marseille, France. In the US, Seattle police used flash bang devices and pepper spray to disperse protesters hurling rocks, bottles and what authorities said were “improvised explosives” that had injured officers, just a day after city leaders temporarily banned one kind of tear gas. Around midnight in Portland, a firework was thrown over the fence at the Justice Center, injuring a Multnomah County deputy, Portland police Lt. Tina Jones said. Smith said police had declared an unlawful assembly and were making arrests.

The largest US demonstration on Saturday appeared to be in Washington, where protesters flooded streets closed to traffic.

New York City’s mayor on Sunday lifted the city’s curfew ahead of schedule, spurred on by peaceful protests against police brutality. The 8 p.m. citywide curfew, New York’s first in decades, had been set to remain in effect through at least Sunday, with the city planning to lift it at the same time it enters the first phase of reopening after more than two months of a coronavirus shutdown.

Protesters rally in Washington Square Park during a peaceful protest against police brutality and racism, on June 6, 2020 in New York (Bryan R. Smith / AFP)

But Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday morning in a tweet that the curfew will end “effective immediately.”

“Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” de Blasio tweeted “Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart.”

On Sunday, thousands of people took to the streets of European cities in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, including in London, Rome, Madrid, Budapest and Barcelona.