US names Zimbabwe as one of its main 'foreign adversaries'

01 Juin 2020

Harare, Zimbabwe, June 1 (Infosplusgabon) - The United States has named Zimbabwe among foreign adversaries who are trying to stoke the current violent protests taking place in the country over the killing of an unarmed black man by law a police officer.

Zimbabwe, together with China, Russia and Iran, were named foreign adversaries for trying to stoke and promote violent protests taking place in the United States.

The protests followed the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, on 25 May, after a white Minneapolis city police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on the former's neck for nearly nine minutes to restrain him despite no resistance to being arrested.

The tragedy occurred in the neighbourhood of Powderhorn, Minneapolis, a city located in the state of Minnesota.

“I have seen a number of tweets today from the Chinese who are taking some sort of pleasure and solace in what they are seeing here. And I want to tell our foreign adversaries, Zimbabwe or China, that the difference between us and you is that officer who killed George Floyd will be investigated and prosecuted and will receive a fair trial,” said White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien on Sunday, during an interview with American media network ABC.

“The American people who want to go out and protest, peacefully, they are going to be allowed to seek redress from their government. They are not going to be thrown in jail for peaceful protesting. There is a difference between us and you and when this happens we will get to the bottom of it and will clean it up.”

He added: “It is not going to be covered up and this wasn’t done on behalf of the party or state. This was a bad apple that sullied the reputation of our heroic law enforcement officers”.

He said their foreign adversaries were seeking to sow discord and take advantage of the United States democracy.

Zimbabwe Presidential spokesperson George Charamba and Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary, Ndabaningi Nick Mangwana, have been ‘internet trolling’ the United States on social media since the death of Floyd.

Both officials have been accusing the United States of having double standards towards human rights with Charamba describing the American government as brutal and racist as well as supporting ongoing protests in the world's top economy.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has since issued a statement strongly condemning Floyd’s murder at the hands of law enforcement officers.

When asked by the ABC interviewer, television news host George Stephanopoulos, how the United States would respond to the internet trolling by Zimbabwe, China, Russia and Iran, O’Brien said:

“We have got a number of tools in our toolkit. We are working very close with our allies. I have been on the phone with my colleagues, national security advisers, over the weekend and we will be meeting them over the next coming days…so there will be a response and it will be proportional but this is not something our adversaries will get away with for free.”

After the statement, Magwana tweeted on micro-blogging website, Twitter:

“Zimbabwe does not consider itself America's adversary. We prefer having friends and allies to having unhelpful adversity with any other nation including the USA.”

The reaction from O’Brien was after Acting Chairman of the United States Senate Intelligence Committee, Marco Rubio, tweeted that the committee had noticed heavy social media from three foreign adversaries earlier on Saturday.

“Tonight seeing VERY heavy social media activity on #protests & counter reactions from social media accounts linked to at least 3 foreign adversaries. They didn’t create these divisions. But they are actively  stoking and promoting violence and confrontation from multiple angles,” he said.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/MOL/GABON2020

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