ATLANTA — As we head into another night of protests, state officials confirm they have intelligence that out-of-state organizations have come to Georgia to create violence.
Gov. Brian Kemp reiterated his support for the peaceful protests during an afternoon news conference Tuesday, but he also warned the non-peaceful ones that they will not stand down.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot asked Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Vic Reynolds about rumors that out-of-state groups were coming to Georgia to stir things up.
He said their intelligence says they are.
“I am outraged, outraged that Georgians are now in harm’s way,” Kemp said.
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The governor said after seeing the videos of what happened to George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, he fully supported the peaceful protests.
It’s when they turn violent that he sees a problem.
“Some are using this moment to riot, to loot and to compromise the safety of our citizens,” Kemp said.
There has been talk of outside groups and organizations coming to Georgia to spark the violence -- everything from Antifa to white supremacist groups seeking to discredit the peaceful protests.
“Based on the information and intelligence we have, there are individuals here from various groups around the country, a lot of which are bent predominantly on destruction and violence,” Reynolds said.
Kemp promised they would not let up the pressure until the violence subsides.
“If those people that are unruly out there think that we will lay down and we will quit, you are in the wrong state,” Kemp said.
There is also a very real worry that the protests will lead to a new spike in COVID-19 cases because very little social distancing is going on.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms urged anyone at the protests to go get tested. However, the governor did point out that there may be a decline in the number of tests performed because the National Guard runs some of the testing sites and they have been busy with the protests.
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