Georgia declares state of emergency and authorises deployment of National Guard after violent weekend
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency after more than 30 people were injured and five people – including an 8-year-old girl – were killed during a violent Fourth of July weekend.
The Republican governor's order authorises the state to deploy National Guard troops to support state buildings, Confederate monuments and statues honouring segregationists, and the governor's mansion, after he had threatened Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to "take action" amid growing unrest.
"Peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda," Governor Kemp said in a statement. "Now innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot and left for dead."
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