Irish Examiner view: Trump is escalating tensions in California for his own political ends
Against the advice of California Governor Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump's White House wielded the sledgehammer of sending National Guard troops onto the streets as protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles, Compton, and Paramount, erupted at the weekend. Picture: Ethan Swope/AP
A sledgehammer is rarely the correct tool to drive a nail, but what we witnessed in California over the weekend was an attempt by US president Donal Trump to do just that.
Demonstrating further cards from the authoritarian deck he has brandished on several previous occasions, particularly during his first term in office, Trump ordered the state’s National Guard to intervene to quell protests against federal immigration sweeps in a number of cities.
His move prompted a stand-off between his White House and California state officials as to whether the authorities locally had the situation under control. Trump and his allies labelled the intervention as necessary, while Democrats in the state said it was both unnecessary and inflammatory.
On Friday and Saturday, demonstrators took to the streets of Los Angeles and the nearby cities of Compton and Paramount to protest against raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
Local media videos showed helmeted law enforcement officers — dressed in full riot gear — using tear gas and stun grenades in an attempt to disperse rioting crowds. We saw damage to a petrol station and protestors setting fire to cars and on Saturday ICE officials accused protestors of having “destroyed taxpayer-owned property” around Los Angeles.
California’s governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, had earlier declared that the authorities had the situation under control and while many of the incident occurred outside LA city limits, the city’s police department declared Saturday’s protest to be largely “peaceful”.
Enter the sledgehammer.
On Saturday evening, members of the Trump administration accused California officials of responding too slowly and he ordered 2,000 member of the National Guard to intervene, saying it was necessary to protect federal officers as they enforce the law. If ever there was a move destined to inflame the situation on the ground and further alienate Latino communities in LA and its satellite cities, this was it. It was ill-considered and unnecessary.
Mr Newsom pleaded with protestors to remain calm in order to deny the White House “the spectacle” it wanted. Neither the state itself nor the city of Los Angeles had asked for any government assistance.
This is another example of the Trump administration escalating a situation to meet its political ends and not to dampen local anger. It is a signpost of further trouble to come if the White House does not desist from meddling in local affairs that don’t necessarily concern it. This is not a portent of good.
We are all — by now at least — well aware that the earth’s mighty oceans are diminishing before our very eyes.
This week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will join more than 60 heads of state at a conference in Nice, France, which is set to focus on the deteriorating state of the world’s oceans.
The UN Ocean Conference, hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron, will see the launch of the EU Ocean Pact, which was adopted by the European Commission last week.
The pact is aimed at bringing together various EU policies to protect the globe’s oceans by restoring degraded habitats and strengthening maritime economies and communities, as well as considering security, defence, and diplomacy issues.
That the EU has finally adopted some sort of plan for the world’s oceans is welcome and, given Ireland’s status as an island nation, the Taoiseach’s presence and participation should be considered as vital.
Despite the fact that the Irish fishing industry has been decimated in recent decades, our undeniable position as a maritime nation makes the protection not only of the waters that surround us, but those globally, vital to our future.
In times past, Ireland has had to equivocate to the wishes of nations with greater power than us, but it is still necessary for Ireland to have a voice in any discussions about the future wellbeing of our oceans.
Securing the future of global waters is imperative and Ireland has to have a role in doing so.
We have many iconic cultural touchstones here in Ireland, most of which are widely known — and admired — across the globe.
One thing we have got that’s neither widely known about nor appreciated in the greater world out there is hurling.
Our national sport is something which has not yet, unlike our poetry or literature, our wit, our business acumen, or our humanity, transcended the borders of other nations and caught the imagination like it does here at home.
On Saturday night — yet again, it has to be said — we were witness to one of the greatest sporting occasions that hurling gifts to us on a seemingly never-ending basis.
The beating heart of Ireland quickened considerably during the 100+ minutes of breathtaking action at the Gaelic Grounds — in which both Cork and Limerick were level on 18 occasions — which ended all square after regular time and extra time, forcing the teams into a penalty shoot-out.
The quality of the play, the magical scoring feats, as well as the undeniable skills of both sets of players, provided the 46,000 people in attendance and the massive television audience with a spectacle which will live long in the memory.
Even if tempers got somewhat frayed on the sideline, especially at half-time, the players were focussed only on trying to win a classic encounter. That Cork had been roundly beaten by Limerick in the round-robin phase of the Munster Championship mattered little on the night.
As is the way of these things, Cork and Limerick supporters are now completely absorbed with the thought of a re-match — the two teams can now only meet again in an All-Ireland final — and with some justification. If ever there was a clash that could propel hurling to its rightful position as a globally revered sport, then this one is it.
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