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WATCH: CNN journalist arrested on-air while covering George Floyd protests

A journalist has been arrested in the US while covering protests in the city of Minneapolis. It ...
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

13.52 29 May 2020


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WATCH: CNN journalist arrested...

WATCH: CNN journalist arrested on-air while covering George Floyd protests

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

13.52 29 May 2020


Share this article


A journalist has been arrested in the US while covering protests in the city of Minneapolis.

It happened during a live broadcast on the network CNN, which says reporter Omar Jimenez "clearly" identified himself to police.

Jimenez's crew - including a producer and a camera operator - were also placed in handcuffs.

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The camera was taken by police but continued to record as the crew was handcuffed, with police seemingly unaware the camera was still on.

CNN said Jimenez and the crew were released about an hour later.

Protests have continued following the death of George Floyd on Monday.

The 46-year-old African-American man died after a white police officer pressed his knee his neck for several minutes while pinning him to the ground.

He can be heard in widely-circulated mobile phone footage saying he could not breathe, before paramedics are seen lifting him on to a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Floyd was declared dead at a nearby hospital soon after, according to authorities.

The video showed "a murder right before our very eyes", House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told US broadcaster MSNBC.

She said: "It's so very, very sad because the American people saw an execution, a murder right before our very eyes.

"It wasn't self-defence. There has to be justice in that case."

Police officers, some in riot gear, have used pepper spray and batons to disperse crowds during the protests.

On Thursday, protesters broke into a police precinct after the department abandoned it - setting it on fire and letting off fireworks.

The four officers involved in Floyd's death have been fired - but his family wants them to be charged with murder.

Protests have spread to several other cities, including New York which saw demonstrators defy coronavirus rules against public gatherings.

Twitter vs Trump

Meanwhile a tweet by US President Donald Trump -  in which he quipped "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" - has been hidden by Twitter for 'glorifying violence'.

The social media platform labelled the message with an explanation that while it had violated the platform's rules, the post was going to remain accessible and not deleted entirely, as it may be in the public's interest.

Twitter's decision is the latest indication that the company will no longer give high-profile users free reign over their comments.

Mr Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at curbing protections for the sites as publishers.

He has accused the company - and the entire social media industry - of censorship and anti-conservative bias.

Earlier this week Twitter flagged one of Mr Trump's tweets about mail-in ballots in California with a fact-check warning.

Additional reporting: IRN

Main image: US police arresting CNN reporter Omar Jimenez. Image: CNN

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