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Watch as a black reporter covering the US George Floyd protests is arrested live on air

CNN journalist Omar Jimenez and two crew members were arrested during a live broadcast from the protests in Minneapolis sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.

CNN reporter Omar Jimenez is arrested during a live broadcast
CNN reporter Omar Jimenez is arrested during a live broadcast Source: CNN, Twitter

Police arrested a CNN crew broadcasting live from the US city of Minneapolis early on Friday amid growing unrest over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died at the hands of law enforcement.

The network posted footage of journalist Omar Jimenez, who is black, speaking calmly to police with batons and riot helmets, then being handcuffed and taken away.

"Do you mind telling me why I am under arrest, sir?" Mr  Jimenez is heard saying. "Why am I under arrest, sir?" 

No answer was audible.

The camera the team was operating was also taken into custody and continued to record as the crew was arrested.

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The crew was released a short time later.

Prior to trio's release, CNN tweeted a statement in which it said the crew's arrests were "a clear violation of their First Amendment rights".

"A CNN reporter & his production team were arrested this morning in Minneapolis for doing their jobs, despite identifying themselves - a clear violation of their First Amendment rights. The authorities in Minnesota, incl. the Governor, must release the 3 CNN employees immediately," the broadcaster wrote in a tweet.

On Thursday night, a police precinct in Minneapolis went up in flames.

In a tweet, US President Donald Trump warned protesters that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts".

Shortly afterwards, Twitter, which angered Mr Trump this week by tagging one of his tweets for the first time with a fact-check, said the post had violated rules about "glorifying violence".

However, the platform did not remove the post, saying that it "may be in the public’s interest" for it to remain visible.

Additional reporting by AFP.


2 min read

Published

Updated

By Evan Young



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