Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the Black Lives Matter protesters who ran from gunfire Thursday night during a rally in Dallas that left five officers dead are “hypocrites” for expecting law enforcement to protect them.
“All those protesters last night, they ran the other way expecting the men and women in blue to turn around and protect them. What hypocrites,” he said in a Friday interview with Fox News.
“I do blame people on social media with their hatred toward police,” Mr. Patrick continued. “I saw Jesse Jackson on Fox the other night calling police ’racists’ without any facts. I do blame former Black Lives Matter protests. Last night was peaceful but others have not been. This has to stop. These are real people.
“All of these officers … lost their [lives] protecting people who are protesting against them,” he said.
Mr. Patrick said many of the protesters aren’t criminals, but “are creating situations like we saw last night,” the Houston Chronicle reported.
He said that if the violence against police doesn’t stop, police will stop working to protect citizens.
“We have to have their back,” Mr. Patrick said. “And I’m sick and tired of those who are protesting our police and putting their lives in danger.”
Five police officers were shot dead and seven others were injured in a sniper ambush Thursday night at the conclusion of a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Dallas. During a standoff with police, a suspected gunman said he “wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,” before he was subsequently killed, authorities said. It was still unclear Friday how many people were involved in the attack.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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