Riot police launched flash grenades and sprayed pepper spray during protests at Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2017. Image: Michael Nigro/SIPA USA/PA Images
This article is part of Right to Protest, a partnership project with human rights organisations CELS and INCLO, with support from the ACLU, examining the power of protest and its fundamental role in democratic society.
In 2014, tanks rolled down the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, USA, flanked by Robocops clutching oversized weapons. The police wanted to end the protests against the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown. But why did they act like an army? And how did they get those weapons? The militarisation of the police became front-page news. Authorities scrambled to respond and called into question the US government’s program that distributes military hardware to local police forces. President Obama promised to look into it and asked that .50 caliber guns and weaponised aircraft be cut from the long list of available weaponry. Trump rescinded that directive last September.
