America's image around the world is being tarnished by the violent federal response in Portland

Mark Hannah, Opinion Contributor 1 hour ago


Last month, the European Union urged a foreign government to handle civil unrest with "full respect for the rule of law and human rights." The country the EU admonished was not some war-torn dictatorship. It was the United States.

While this declaration may have seemed like excessive concern a few weeks ago, it now seems prescient after federal agents using paramilitary gear and tactics stormed Portland, rounding up protesters in defiance of its local and state government.

There's a special irony in the fact that this police response came in reaction to a movement that grew out of protests over the abuse of police authority.

America's international leadership was already precarious, and this brutal and tone-deaf response to legitimate public frustration further imperils it. Countries already resentful of America's world-policing now watch in dismay as jackbooted federal officers, armed like warfighters and with dubious legal authority, descend upon its own people.

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https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-image-around-world-worse-portland-police-violence-federal-agents-2020-7