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A30 world news
Diahuebs 1 OctOber 2020

Portland asks US to rescind deputization of city police

police in Minneapolis. Many attorney Tracy Reeve wrote a dozen charges, including
of them end in vandalism of that city leaders had been un- allegations he pointed a re-
police and government build- der the impression that the volver at counterprotesters
ings and violence against po- deputization would end with and fired a paintball gun and
lice officers. the termination of the gover- mace at them on two separate
nor's state of emergency de- occasions in August. Swin-
Fifty-six Portland officers clared only for last weekend's ney, who is scheduled for a
were deputized before a rally protests, which ended Sun- court appearance Thursday,
in the city last weekend by the day evening. was charged in a secret in-
far-right Proud Boys group. dictment Sept. 11 but not ar-
During Tuesday's presiden- On Wednesday, Wheeler con- rested until Wednesday. An
tial debate, President Don- demned Trump's statements attorney for Swinney was not
ald Trump refused to con- on the Proud Boys. Yesterday listed in court records. Swin-
demn armed militias. When morning, City leaders met ney remained in custody
prompted about the Proud with the Western States Cen- Wednesday and it wasn't im-
Boys, he said: "Proud Boys, ter for a training about the mediately clear if he had re-
stand back and stand by. history and tactics of white tained an attorney or would
(AP) – The mayor of Port- vere penalties than the state supremacy. We learned about be assigned a public defender.
land has asked U.S. officials crimes for which local police Portland city officials appar- its hallmarks, and how to
to end the federal deputation usually make arrests. ently did not know that their recognize it," he said. "Then, Protests in Portland contin-
of dozens of police officers in officers' federal deputization last night, we saw it in action ued overnight Tuesday. Au-
Oregon's largest city as part It also could allow law en- status would last until the when Donald Trump refused thorities said arrests were
of the response to ongoing forcement a way around end of this year. A key fea- to denounce white suprem- made after police told pro-
protests in the city. Multnomah County District ture of the designation is that acy, and in his not-so-veiled testers not to go on the prop-
Attorney Mike Schmidt's de- anyone who assaults a feder- call for his supporters to en- erty of a public safety build-
Mayor Ted Wheeler said late cision not to file state charges ally deputized official could gage in intimidation at the ing and officers towed a vehi-
Tuesday that he had "asked against hundreds of protest- be subject to federal charges," polls and elsewhere. cle that had shields, helmets,
the U.S. attorney's office to ers who were arrested for Wheeler's statement said. gas masks and paintball guns
withdraw the designation" lower-level and non-violent "Fortunately, I am confident The Proud Boys have visited that demonstrators may have
that deputized the officers. offenses, a policy that has the Multnomah County dis- the city several times since planned to use.Two juveniles
Deputizing the Portland of- angered some in the law en- trict attorney will continue Trump's election, often draw- were detained and released
ficers gives federal prosecu- forcement community. to prosecute anyone who as- ing a response from hun- and a man was arrested on a
tors the option to charge any- Portland has seen protests saults or otherwise harms po- dreds of counterprotesters. charge of interfering with a
one arrested by those officers almost every night for more lice officers or others." Alan Swinney, a member of peace officer, disorderly con-
with federal crimes, which than four months since In an email to the U.S. at- the Proud Boys, was booked duct, trespass and escape, ac-
often come with more se- George Floyd was killed by torney's office, Portland city Wednesday on suspicions of cording to police.

It belongs to us! Tense French trial over colonial art

(AP) – Is dislodging Afri- exchange in the courtroom ricans, Latin Americans and cutor said the activists should ger at not being able to enter
can artwork from a Euro- was the question of whether other colonized communi- have made their point via the small, socially distanced
pean museum a political and how former empires ties take back ill-gotten trea- more peaceful means. courtroom, and judges sent
statement, or a criminal act? should atone for colonial-era sures. He accuses European Defense lawyer Hakim Cher- Diyabanza to calm them
That's the question a French wrongs. The question took museums of making millions gui argued that it shouldn't down.
court weighed Wednesday in on new urgency after this on artworks taken from now- have taken this many decades The Quai Branly Museum,
an emotionally charged trial year's global protests against impoverished countries like after African countries' inde- on the banks of the Seine Riv-
centered around a Congolese racial injustice unleashed by Congo, and said the pole, pendence to settle the issue. er near the Eiffel Tower, was
activist campaigning to take George Floyd's death in the which came from current- He choked up when talking built under former French
back art he says was plun- U.S. at the knee of a white day Chad, should be among about the skulls of Algerian President Jacques Chirac
dered by colonizers. policeman. works returned to Africa. 19th century resistance fight- to showcase non-European
Diyabanza seized on that "We are the legitimate heirs ers long held as trophies in art, notably from ex-French
It belongs to us!" shouted a mood and has staged three of these works," he said. But a French museum and re- colonies. A 2018 study com-
Black woman watching the livestreamed museum pro- he insisted that "appropria- turned to his native Algeria missioned by Macron rec-
trial, breaking down in tears tests in recent months — tion wasn't my goal. ... The this year. ommended that French mu-
and storming out after a law- in Paris, Marseille and the aim was to mark the symbol- "There is a frustration in the seums give back works that
yer for Paris' Quai Branly Netherlands. French officials ism of the liberation of these population that is growing, were taken without consent,
Museum insisted that its denounced the Quai Branly works." growing, growing," he said, if African countries request
holdings — including tens of incident, saying it threatens The presiding judge asked calling Wednesday's proceed- them. So far, France is pre-
thousands of artworks from ongoing negotiations with the activists why they thought ings "a trial of the colonial paring to give back 26 works
former colonies — belong to African countries launched they had the right to take the continuum. Applause and of African art out of some
the French state. by President Emmanuel Ma- law into their own hands. He boos periodically interrupted 90,000 works believed held
cron in 2018 for legal, orga- insisted that the trial should the proceedings. A crowd of in French museums, most in
Congo-born Emery Mwa- nized restitution efforts. focus on the specific funeral supporters shouted in an- the Quai Branly.
zulu Diyabanza and four If convicted of attempted pole incident and that his
other activists went on trial group theft of a historical court wasn't competent to
on attempted theft charges object, Diyabanza could face judge France's colonial era as
for removing a 19th century up to 10 years in prison and a a whole.
African funeral pole from its 150,000 euro fine ($173,000). Quai Branly lawyer Yves
perch in the museum in a However, the lawyer for the Goulard argued that because
June protest livestreamed on French state did not ask for of the discussions under-
Facebook. Guards quickly prison time, demanding only way between France and Af-
stopped them; the activists modest fines. A verdict is rican governments, "there
argue that they never planned scheduled Oct. 14. is no need for this political
to steal the work but just act." The French state "is
wanted to call attention to its Diyabanza defended what very committed to this, and
origins. he called a "political act" and serious" about following
Lurking beneath nearly every said it's about time that Af- through, he said. The prose-