‘How is democracy treating you guys?’ ISIS militants take to social media to encourage Ferguson protesters to embrace Islamic extremism
- ISIS supporters urge Ferguson demonstrators to embrace radical Islam
- Use social media to stir up racial hatred and encourage yet more violence
- Militants urge ISIS sympathizers in U.S. to travel to Ferguson to join protest
- News comes as image appears to show demonstrator holding ISIS banner
- Man was seen holding an ‘ISIS is here’ placard on purported CNN footage
- Chilling developments come on ninth night of violent protests in Ferguson following the shooting by police of unarmed teenager Michael Brown
ISIS militants and their supporters are using social media to encourage protesters in Ferguson to embrace radical Islam and fight against the U.S. government. Jihadists in Syria and Iraq and their sympathizers in the West have taken to Twitter to send messages of support to hundreds of demonstrators taking part in a ninth night of angry protests in the U.S. city following the shooting by police of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. The militants’ tweets denounce local officers for the way they have attempted to quell the violence, make reference to historic acts of police brutality, and even use the hash tag #FergusonUnderISIS in an attempt to get angry young men in the city to declare allegiance to the Islamist group. The news comes as footage purportedly taken from the scene of the Ferguson protests appeared to show one demonstrator marching along a street holding a sign reading ‘ISIS is here’.
One ISIS sympathizer calling himself Mujahid Miski, who claims to be from Minneapolis–Saint Paul but suggests he is now based in ‘the horn of Africa’, has led the campaign to encourage those taking part in the protests to embrace radical Islam. In one message he tweets: ‘So how is democracy treating you guys? #FergusonUnderIS #Ferguson.’
He adds: ‘I thought u guys back in #Ferguson were supposed to be Free & that u had equal rights. I’d really like to know what changed? #FergusonUnderIS’. Miski goes on to retweet dozens of messages by a Twitter user with the handle @AmreekiWitness, who claims to monitor and support the growth of radical Islam in the U.S..
As officers sat with guns pointed atop armored vehicles, the authorities used LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) crowd control systems to send out a painful noise to try and disperse the crowd
Threat: One Twitter user with the handle @AmreekiWitness, who claims to monitor the growth of radical Islam in the U.S., has led the calls for Ferguson protesters to embrace ISIS’ brutal branch of radical Islam
Encouragement: Amreeki Witness’ Twitter messages focus on the treatment of black people in the U.S. and urge angry young black men to take up Islamic extremism. Amreeki Witness’ messages focus on the treatment of black people in the U.S., praise Malcolm X for embracing Islam and urge angry young black men to take up the religion as it means the police ‘will fear you’. In one message Amreeki Witness mocks the curfew police have imposed in Ferguson to bring an end to the disorder, saying: ‘We IS guys hate you for your freedom, eh? Just like that freedom uplifting curfew in #Ferguson? Wake up, or they’ll never let you outside.’ As the social media campaign began to take hold, with dozens of radical Islamists commenting on the Ferguson protests, Amreeki Witness tweeted: ‘May be time to organize the Muslims in America upon haqq and mobilize to #Ferguson. Defend the oppressed, start jihad here.’ The message attracted a large response, with one Islamist calling himself Amarka Al-Ahlam responding: ‘Preach, brother. We must organize brigades in preparation for the oncoming storm. #FergusonUnderIS #JihadinFerguson.’ Amreeki Witness added: ‘They cower in fear of us whilst they massacre and oppress you! It’s time to strike fear into the hearts of the oppressors. #FergusonUnderIS’. News of the militants’ campaign to encourage Ferguson demonstrators to embrace radical Islamism comes as footage purportedly from a CNN live stream of the protests appeared to show one young man holding a sign reading ‘ISIS is here.’ It is not known whether the banner – footage of which has not yet been independently verified – was in support of the militant group or, as seems more likely, it was an attempt to compare ISIS to the local police force or the U.S. government. Nevertheless stills of the alleged CNN footage were embraced by jihadists who have claimed they prove jihadists are already playing their part in the protests. Chilling images of the alleged ISIS banner being carried by demonstrators have been widely shared by ISIS sympathisers on social media, who have used them to encourage supporters based in America to travel to Ferguson to further stoke the violence in the city. News of ISIS’ attempt to hijack the Ferguson protests come as Palestinian Twitter users sent messages of support to the demonstrators and gave advice on the best way to cope with the tear gas police are using to disperse crowds. As images emerged of heavily armed police and armoured tanks on the streets of nearby St Louis, many Palestinian Twitter users expressed their solidarity with demonstrators. The messages of support from Palestinians come amid reports that many of the Ferguson protesters were heard chanting ‘Gaza Strip’ as they marched through the heart of the city.
TWO SHOT AS GUNFIRE RINGS OUT IN FERGUSON: GAS MASK-CLAD REPORTERS LOOK ON AS COPS FIRE TEAR GAS AT PROTESTERS ARMED WITH MOLOTOV COCKTAILS IN SCENES RESEMBLING WAR ZONE
Two people were shot during another night of violence in Ferguson as police used stun grenades and tear gas on protesters who hurled rocks and bottles and in some cases Molotov cocktails. The ninth night of violence since the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown had started as an evening of peaceful protests. But the relatively peaceful protests eventually turned nasty on the streets of the St. Louis suburb after police in riot gear and gas masks formed a barricade and stood watch over the protesters for almost two hours.
As officers sat with guns pointed atop armored vehicles, the authorities used LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) crowd control systems to send out a painful noise to try and disperse the crowd. Around 31 people were arrested overnight as police officers struggled to keep the situation under control, according to CNN. At a press conference early this morning, Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson defended police actions overnight, including the decision to begin clearing the streets, during which several journalists were taken into custody. Johnson used the press conference to remind both police and journalists that the world is watching their actions, while vowing to do whatever it took to make the community ‘whole’ again. With no curfew in order on Monday, police were strictly enforcing protesters to keep moving along the sidewalk or they were subject to arrest for unlawful assembly.
Eventually things deteriorated rapidly, with reports that shots were fired and Molotov cocktails thrown. One protester ripped out a Do Not Enter street sign and pointed it toward officers. Police responded by first throwing tear gas and stun grenades and then moving in with guns drawn to clear the area. CNN’s Don Lemon and Jack Tapper were presenting live from the middle of protests when teargas was thrown and they got caught up in the melee. Lemon was quick to put on his bullet proof vest and gas mask while continuing to present live TV. Tapper meanwhile was kind enough to give his mask to a photographer who had been on the receiving end of the tear gas attack. The reporters were eventually moved on by police, who said it wasn’t safe for them to remain because there had been a shooting in the area where the media were presenting from.
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