(Washington) An American couple who pointed their guns at protesters to drive them away from their Missouri home in late June were charged Monday, the St. Louis city attorney said.
Posted on 20 July 2020 at 22 h 19
France Media Agency
“It is illegal to brandish weapons in a threatening manner against those participating in non-violent protests, and although the situation has fortunately not escalated tragically, this type of behavior is unacceptable in St. Louis”, Prosecutor Kimberly Gardner said in a statement.
“We must protect the right to demonstrate peacefully and any attempt to hinder it by intimidating will not be tolerated”, she added, asking that the couple be forced to follow a program. rehabilitation.
Retweeted by President Donald Trump, a video showing Mark and Patricia McCloskey brandishing an assault rifle and pistol as a motorcade passed their house sparked divisive reactions last month.
The sequence had outraged many Internet users and had been derided.
The couple of white lawyers in their sixties said they were “terrified” when the demonstrators, mostly black, passed in their private street to protest in front of the mayoress of St. Louis, a large city in the central United States. United.
“I was terrified that we would be murdered in seconds, our house burnt down, our pets killed. We were alone in front of an angry crowd, ”Mark McCloskey told a local television station.