Former UKIP MEP Roger Helmer gave his views on the matter.
Sputnik: Will President Trump help instigate police reform in the US?
Roger Helmer: Of course, all decent people condemn what happened to George Floyd, and all decent people recognise the right to protest but having said that, there is no right to vandalise and destroy stuff all over the place.
What President Trump is doing, is seeking to present himself as a law and order President who can be relied on to get the trouble under control, and let’s face it, it is trouble, it is not a legitimate protest against an outrageous action by the police, it has become riot mayhem and destruction.
What is the point of saying black lives matter, if you then go around destroying black businesses and facilities widely used by black people?
So basically I think that Trump is right to present himself as a law and order President, and he is right to take action in order to quell the rioting and to stop the trouble and return peace to the streets.
Having said that, I would have liked him to appear a little more sympathetic to the protesters, in terms of making it clear that he recognises the problems that they are drawing attention to.
It’s good to clamp down hard on illegal and outrageous behaviour, but at the same time, the protesters do have a legitimate point.
I don’t think he has gone as far as he might have done in terms of recognising that and bringing perhaps a little bit of comfort to people who are deeply upset.
Sputnik: Are protesters wrong to blame the Republicans for police brutality in the US?
Roger Helmer: Trump is very fond of pointing to, for example, historic low levels of unemployment amongst black Americans before the Coronavirus Pandemic.
He has actually done quite a lot for ethnic minorities in the states, and of course, the left hates that, because they feel that that is their territory, and the idea that a right-wing President would actually be doing good things for ethnic minorities, doesn’t sit easily with them.
Sputnik: How much of an impact will the death of George Floyd have on the upcoming US Presidential election?
I think that it is too early to call how it will impact the Presidential election, but obviously Trump thinks that by taking a tough line, he is going to improve his position.
There are also a lot of people who aren’t seeing it like that and are therefore less likely to vote for him, but we will have to wait and see I think.
