米ポートランド市長、デモ参加者拘束の連邦職員に退去要求　違憲と批判

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米オレゴン州ポートランドのテッド・ウィーラー市長は、国土安全保障省から派遣された連邦職員がデモ参加者に対して暴力的で合衆国憲法に反する戦術を用い、状況を危険なまでに悪化させているとして、退去を要求した。（写真はポートランドで抗議デモを行う人々）
　ポートランドでは、５月に黒人男性ジョージ・フロイドさんが警官に首を膝で押さえつけられ死亡した事件をきっかけに全米に広がった警察の暴力に抗議するデモが続いている。デモ隊と警察の対立が数週間に及ぶ中、ドナルド・トランプ大統領は秩序回復のために連邦政府が介入すると警告。先週から、迷彩服を着た国土安全保障省の職員らが市内に展開していた。
　ウィーラー市長は、連夜のデモで警察関連施設が炎上した後に出演した米ＣＮＮのニュース番組「ステート・オブ・ザ・ユニオン」で、ポートランドに派遣されてきた連邦職員が、所属を明らかにしないまま路上でデモ参加者を拘束し、所属不明の車に乗せて連れ去るといった戦術で状況を「急激にエスカレートさせている」と非難した。
　「実際のところ、彼らが市内にいることで暴力と破壊行為が増加している。状況の改善には全くつながっていない」とウィーラー市長は指摘。「彼らは、ここでは必要とされていない。われわれは彼らに来てくれと頼んでもいない。むしろ、出て行ってほしい」と述べた。
　オレゴン州司法長官と米国自由人権協会は１７日、連邦政府を相手取り、過剰な権限を行使して平和的なデモの参加者を負傷させたり脅したりしているとして提訴した。
　大統領選に向けて「法と秩序」を奉ずる大統領として自身を位置づけようとしているトランプ氏は１９日、ツイッターへの投稿で、連邦政府は「ポートランドを傷つけようとしているのではなく、助けようとしている」と主張。ポートランド市当局について「数か月もの間、無政府主義者と扇動者を統制できなくなっている」と批判した。
　だが、ウィーラー市長は連邦職員の存在と行動が「火薬庫」に火を付けたと反論。「彼らが現在用いている戦術のせいで、わが市の住民や、市・州の警察職員から死者が出ることになるのではないかと恐れている」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/07/21-13:23）

The mayor of Portland demanded the withdrawal of federal officers from the northwestern US city, accusing them of dangerously escalating the situation with abusive, unconstitutional tactics against protesters.
The accusations followed another night of protests in the Oregon city that saw a police association building set aflame.
Mayor Ted Wheeler said federal officers sent to the city had escalated a long-running standoff between protesters and police with tactics that included scooping people off the streets into unmarked vans without identifying themselves.
What's happening here is we have dozens, if not hundreds, of federal troops descending upon our city. What they're doing is they are sharply escalating the situation, Wheeler said on CNN's State of the Union.
Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it's not helping the situation at all.
They're not wanted here. We haven't asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave, he said.
The Oregon attorney general and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit late Friday against the federal government, accusing it of overstepping its powers and injuring or threatening peaceful protesters.
The deployment of Homeland Security officers in camouflage uniforms last week followed threats by US President Donald Trump to use federal might to restore order after a weeks-long standoff between protesters and police.
The Portland protests were part of a nationwide wave against police brutality sparked by the killing in May of George Floyd, the unarmed African American who died when a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
In a tweet Sunday, Trump, who has been campaigning as a law and order president, said the federal government was trying to help Portland, not hurt it.
Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action, he said.
Wheeler, however, said the presence and actions of the federal officers had ignited a powder keg.
The reason we want those federal troops out of our city is they are making the situation much more dangerous.
I'm worried that one of our residents or one of our local or state law enforcement officers is going to get killed because of the tactics that they are currently engaged in, he said.
Police declared a state of riot early Sunday after people broke into a Portland Police Association office and set the building on fire.
The blaze was put out and the situation brought under control, the police said on Twitter.
Earlier, at another location outside a judicial center and federal court building that has been at the center of protests, police said people in a large crowd were seen tearing down fencing and using it to barricade courthouse doors.
Some others tried to persuade them to stop but were shouted down, police said on Twitter.
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