(How) Do the LA protests compare to the 1992 riots?

Press Review

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, June 10: We look at reactions after protests in Los Angeles, where Donald Trump has sent in the National Guard. A video goes viral of an Australian reporter being shot with a rubber bullet in the middle of a live broadcast. Also, what comparisons can be made to the 1992 LA riots? Plus, here in France, the hit Netflix series "Adolescence" will be shown in schools to teach teenagers about toxic masculinity.

We start with the protests in Los Angeles over increasing ICE arrests. The Australian press are headlining on the story. The conserative Melbourne daily Herald Sun headlines "Hell reigns in City of Angels" and notes that rubber bullets and tear gas have been used to disperse protesters. The Guardian Australia headlines on a viral video of Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi being shot with a rubber bullet during a live update, showing a guard appearing to deliberately aim in her direction. Her employer Channel 9 says the video serves as stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting.

Another Melbourne-based paper, The Age, writes that LA simmers as Donald Trump threatens to send troops everywhere. The paper's international editor Peter Hartcher writes that the confrontations we're seeing in LA are not "episodic or random". They are likely the opening scenes of a new phase in US history. He adds that the problem is not the principle of deporting illegal immigrants but rather the manner in which Trump is doing it – with an enthusiasm verging on bloodlust, he says. The San Francisco Chronicle publishes exclusive photos showing the deployment of troops as being "wildly underprepared." The photos show dozens of National Guard troops sleeping on the floor after Trump's rush to deploy them to LA without the approval of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Meanwhile, an excellent cartoon from British illustrator Ben Jennings cleverly sums up the situation.

The previous deployments of the National Guard are also garnering a lot of attention in the press. The Associated Press notes that the deployment of National Guard troops is typically reserved for civil rights protests. It reminds us that the last time the National Guard were deployed to LA was in 2020, during the height of protests over the death of George Floyd. Some have also compared the protests to the 1992 LA riots, after the acquittal of White police officers for the beating death of Black man Rodney King. Time Magazine explains that the two are not comparable, notably because Trump invoked a section of the US code that allows the president to call in the National Guard when regular forces are not enough. But he did so without the approval of the governor, which is mandated in the code. Furthermore, the damage in 1992 was extensive when the troops were sent in. In LA right now, there is much less damage.

In France, Politico is focusing on the plight of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. The acclaimed novelist – a vocal critic of the Algerian regime – was arrested in Algiers last November, accused of undermining national unity. He's been sentenced to five years in prison. His case has garnered a lot of attention in France, which accuses Algeria of using him as a political pawn. Relations between France and Algeria deteriorated last year after France's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Supporters of the writer have now turned to Europe for help. Sansal has been in and out of hospital since his arrest – he's suffering from cancer and his supporters are concerned about his medical care. So far, efforts to lobby the Algerian government to release Sansal have been ignored. His support group has also filed a complaint with the EU ombudsman in the hopes of keeping up the pressure.

Staying in France, authorities are planning to use the hit Netflix series "Adolescence" to teach students about toxic masculinity. The series has been viewed 140 million times and garnered critical acclaim. Now the Guardian reports that France will follow in the footsteps of the UK, Netherlands and the Flanders region of Belgium. The French education ministry will offer schools five classes based on excerpts from the mini-series, which sparked a global debate about misogynistic content online and its impact on teenagers.

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