Former Commanders Fault Trump's Use of Troops Against Protesters

Retired senior military leaders condemned their successors in the Trump administration for ordering military units Monday to rout those peacefully protesting police violence near the White House.

As military helicopters flew low over the nation’s capital and National Guard units moved into many cities, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly aligned themselves behind a president who chose chemical spray and rubber bullets to clear peaceful protesters from a park so that he could stage a photo op at a nearby church.

In so doing, Esper, who described the country as a “battlespace” to be cleared, and Milley, who wore combat fatigues on the streets of the capital, thrust the 2 million active-duty and reserve service members into the middle of a confrontation in which the “enemy” was not foreign, but domestic.

The reaction has been swift and furious.

Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote on Twitter that “America is not a battleground. Our fellow citizens are not the enemy.”

Gen. Tony Thomas, the former head of the Special Operations Command, tweeted: “The ‘battle space’ of America??? Not what America needs to hear … ever, unless we are invaded by an adversary or experience a constitutional failure … ie a Civil War.”

Adm. Mike Mullen, another former chairman, wrote in the Atlantic: “Whatever Trump’s goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, gave succor to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in our domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and women of our armed forces.”

The New York Times

Govt: if you’re 55 and above, avoid mosques, churches

The Federal Government on Tuesday gave an advice to Nigerians: If you are 55 years old and above, avoid churches and mosques.

Those with health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, HIV, among others, are also enjoined to stay at home to worship, the government added.

It noted that the advice was necessary because places of worship have been recognised as a major avenue of potential spread of Coronavirus.

The Nation.

Worship Centres Remain Shut, say Lagos, Oyo, Kwara, Kaduna

Oyo and Kwara states are not about to unlock religious centres in spite of the window for reopening provided by the Federal Government.

Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs Prince Anofiu Elegushi said as a result of disagreement at a meeting of religious leaders with the government, the reopening of religious centres was put in abeyance.He said during the ministerial briefing on the activities of the state government yesterday that: ‘’Even before the pronouncement by the Federal Government, we have been having meeting with the religious leaders, we even had one with the Safety Commission. Looking at the possibility of reopening of religious houses.

‘’We also had one with the leaders of the two faiths and I want to tell you categorically that at that meeting, the possibility of reopening religious houses was ruled out totally.

‘’They claimed that they cannot take such responsibility of ensuring that only 20 or 50 people are praying behind them. Like an Imam said he doesn’t know what is going on behind him whenever he is leading a prayer. He said if more than 20 or 50 people are staying at his back, he is not going to take responsibility for their presence.

‘’So, the meeting, we ruled out in totality the issue of reopening the religious houses until we have a clear coast for us to do so. The Federal Government mentioned it, but it never ruled out the states in achieving that pronouncement, so all states will have to look at the possibility of doing so in their respective states.

‘’We all know Lagos is still having more figures.”

The Nation

Barakat: Raped and Murdered

An 18-year-old Muslim girl, identified as Bello Barakat, was reportedly gang raped and murdered by unknown men in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.

The incident was said to have occurred on Tuesday in Akinyele area of Ibadan, Oyo state.

It was gathered that her dad found her dead body around their home, after her body was examined, they discovered that she was raped, then she got murdered.

The Nation

BBNaija star Uriel searches for husband on Instagram

The former housemate of Big Brother Naija, Uriel Oputa, has begun the search for a partner who will become her husband on Instagram.

Over the weekend, Uriel took to her Instagram page to search for a hubby in her recent live show tagged ’Win UUs heart’.According to the reality TV star, she is on the search for a better half and will select one from over 15 suitors, in her recent Instagram post she wrote ’13 more to go’.

Uriel said she has been single for over 5 years now and is desperate to get back into a relationship.

On the show, Uriel had a live date with different suitors asking them questions and getting to know more about their personal life.

The reality star is hosting the show in conjunction with the Chief executive officer, CMC cars, Chidi Mike, who promised to give her the sum of N5 million if she succeeds in hooking a man.

The Nation

Facebook takes down white nationalist and fake Antifa accounts

Facebook Inc said Tuesday it has suspended accounts associated with white nationalist groups after some advocated bringing weapons to the current wave of anti-racist protests.

Company officials also said they removed accounts falsely claiming allegiance to antifa in order to bring discredit to the anti-fascist movement.

Antifa adherents have said they focus on defending people from attacks by authorities or vigilantes, but they have been vilified by President Donald Trump who, without citing evidence, said they were instigators of anti-police violence.

Some of the removed white nationalist accounts were associated with the Proud Boys, which Facebook previously classified as a dangerous group. The others had connections to a group called the American Guard, which is now classified the same way.

Multiple Facebook executives described the action on condition they not be identified. They said they acted based on behavior, not the politics of any content, and that Facebook had not designated antifa as dangerous.

The company said it was looking closer at accounts discussing protests when it saw what it deemed white nationalist accounts encouraging violence.

The misleading antifa accounts were removed for "inauthentic behavior," because they purported to be something they were not, Facebook said.

As with a false antifa tweet that Twitter Inc tied to a third white nationalist group and which was widely distributed as a screen shot, the Facebook executives said Tuesday the goal of such content is often not to win thousands of followers but to plant a single false flag that can be used to sow distrust about the target group.

Facebook declined to comment on whether it had been in touch with law enforcement, which it typically does in cases of an imminent threat.

Photos show how the world is demanding justice for George Floyd at global Black Lives Matter protests

Reuters/Getty Images

• Protests against racial inequality sparked by the police killing of George Floyd are taking place all over the world.

• Rallies and memorials have been held in cities across Europe, as well as in Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

• As the US contends with its second week of protests, issues of racism, police brutality, and oppression have been brought to light across the globe.