A Louisville store owner who was filmed in a tense confrontation with Black Lives Matter protesters who tried to get him to say ‘black lives matter’ has defended his refusal in a Fox interview.
Footage of the incident, shared on Twitter, shows a small crowd of BLM activists grilling business owner Fadi Faouri, as he stood outside his store holding a rifle.
A group of Black Lives Matter protesters could be seen demanding he voice his support for the movement during a third night of Breonna Taylor demonstrations in the city.
Fadi Faouri, a Louisville store owner who was filmed in a tense confrontation with Black Lives Matter protesters who tried to get him to say ‘black lives matter’ has defended his action in a television interview after he refused to bow to their commands
A group of Black Lives Matter protesters were filmed confronting Louisville store owner Fadi Faouri (far right) as he defended his business amid another night of unrest on Friday
Faouri, who was born and raised in Jordan but who has lived in the United States for 24 years further qualified his remarks during an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News on Monday night
On Monday night, Faouri spoke with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to explain his actions.
‘Why would you not just say what the mob wanted you to say? Why did you resist?’ Carlson asked.
‘The answer to that question is because no one can force me to do something that I don’t want to do. It’s just for the simple fact like, I’m a free man, you know? That’s the simple answer to it.’
Faouri, who was born and raised in Jordan but who has lived in the United States for 24 years further qualified his remarks.
‘Nobody can intimidate me basically, it’s that simple. They basically tried to force me to say black lives matter or her name Breonna Taylor. And I was like, I’m not, I’m not going to do it. Whether they like it or not.’
Faouri confirmed that he has received plenty of support as a result of what happened.
On Monday night, Faouri spoke with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to explain his actions declaring himself to be ‘a free man’
‘I’ve been given support from all over the country and I’ve been getting hundreds and hundreds of phone calls, messages from all over. I believe that there’s a video of me… and they got attention from everybody and even from the local news, surprisingly. Now everybody wants to do an interview with me.’
During the tense encounter with protesters, the group can seen ganging up on Faouri for several minutes as they challenge his views on the BLM movement and the police shooting of Taylor after he refuses to say he supports the cause.
The exchange kicks off after a man asks Faouri, ‘do black lives matter?’ to which he replies: ‘If you’re a good person I will care about you, if you’re a bad person….’ before shrugging.
The man then asks him if ‘Breonna Taylor matters’. Faouri hesitates for a few seconds before responding: ‘Does it matter? I don’t know.’
Faouri was grilled over his views on the BLM movement and the injustice surrounding the shooting of Breonna Taylor
The confrontation turned tense after Faouri repeatedly skirted the question and refused to say directly if he did or did not support Black Lives Matter
The conversation turned tense after a woman comes into frame questioning his response and more members of the crowd start urging Faouri to explain what he means.
‘Are you trying to intimidate me? I’m not playing that game,’ Faouri says, as he explains that he is trying to protect his business.
An argument then ensues as the group starts to close in on the store owner and continue to demand he say whether or not he believes in their cause. A person in the background can be heard shouting, ‘we don’t want your business’.
Faouri turns his attention to the initial male protester telling him he will not be forced to say anything he doesn’t believe. ‘Nobody can intimidate me,’ he says.
The two parties continue to argue for several seconds but Faouri remains defiant in his refusal to engage in their debate and the protesters eventually disperse, with the exception of one woman.
At one point, a woman claiming to be a documentary filmmaker approaches Faouri and criticizes him for his stance, or lackthereof, as she lectures him over the injustice surrounding Breonna Taylor’s death
Faouri retorted by saying Breonna Taylor’s shooting was ‘not my business’, further escalating the argument
The woman, who claimed to be a documentary filmmaker, approaches Faouri and criticizes him for his stance, or lackthereof, as she lectures him over the injustice surrounding Breonna Taylor’s death.
‘That’s not my f**king business!’ Faouri replies.
‘It should be your business because all lives matter right?’ the woman says, as she starts to debate Faouri on racial disparities. ‘You can say that, but it’s the color black that is the issue,’ she adds.
‘You have an issue with that, I don’t have an issue,’ Faouri says in response. ‘I don’t care, white or black bulls***t, I see you as a human being, that’s all that I care about.’
The debate finally comes to an end after a fellow protester urges the woman to leave the area.
One of Faouri’s buildings was later firebombed during the protests. It is not known if protesters specifically targeted his building.
LOS ANGELES: Footage was captured showing an LAPD deputy using his riot shield to slam a Black Lives Matter protester into the ground on Friday night
LOS ANGELES: Around 100 people were seen marching in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles on Friday evening
Protests continue to rock the city and other areas of across the country days after a grand jury refused to charge Louisville police officers with Breonna Taylor’s murder.
Violent clashes have broken out between police officers and demonstrators over the last week, as some activists have taken to the streets to target businesses and cause chaos.
On Friday, footage emerged of a police officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office using his riot shield to slam a BLM protester who was already lying on the ground. The footage showed the deputy forcefully using their riot shield to subdue a protester.
The incident took place in West Hollywood area of the city which saw more than 100 protesters gathered on Friday evening as they marched along Santa Monica Boulevard.
Meanwhile, across the other side of the country, hundreds of Black Lives Matter staged a ‘sit-in’ on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
Hundreds of angry demonstrators marched through from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Bridge where they sat and refused to move for more than hour.
And in Oakland, California, police said more than 250 protesters became ‘immediately violent’ and threw bottles and cans at officers in the downtown area.
NEW YORK: Hundreds of angry demonstrators marched through from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Bridge where they sat and refused to move for more than hour
NEW YORK: A woman holds a portrait of Breonna Taylor during the march for Breonna Taylor
NEW YORK: Protesters exit the Brooklyn Bridge during the march for Breonna Taylor in New York City
NEW YORK: People participate during the march for Breonna Taylor in New York City on the Brooklyn Bridge
Cops deployed smoke to counter the demonstrators, and a downtown Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station was closed.
Friday’s rally was held in solidarity with protests taking place in Louisville, where large demonstrations are planned for the weekend.
Several other demonstrations took place around the rest of the country including Boston and San Diego to protest a grand jury’s decision not to charge the Louisville, Kentucky, police officers in the death of Breonna Taylor.
OAKLAND: Cops deployed smoke to counter the demonstrators, and a downtown Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station was closed
OAKLAND: Police said more than 250 protesters became ‘immediately violent’ and threw bottles and cans
NEW YORK: People are pictured protesting on the Brooklyn Bridge during the march for Breonna Taylor on Friday night
NEW YORK: Police wait at one end of the bridge as protesters attempt to leave the massive structure after the demonstration
NEW YORK: The march started off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and slowly moved towards the famous bridge
‘This is extremely traumatizing. I have been out here since June, almost every day on the streets, marching for my Black life to show people that I matter, that it could be me, it could be him, it could be him, it could be any Black face that you see in this crowd,’ protester Sophie Michel said to CBS2.
‘I think we need to send a message that it’s unacceptable that no one was charged with Breonna Taylor’s death,’ said John Donahue to PIX11.
Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by white officers in Louisville who entered her home during a narcotics investigation in March.
BOSTON: Demonstrators march past Boston Police headquarters during a ‘Stand Against Racist Police Murders’ demo
BOSTON: Protesters could be seen gathered downtown with even large protests planned for Saturday
In Kentucky on Friday, a crowd surrounded Breonna Taylor’s family. Her aunt, Bianca Austin, wore Taylor’s emergency medical technician jacket while reading a message from Taylor’s mother, who was too distraught to speak.
‘I’m angry because this nation is learning that our Black women are dying at the hands of police officers,’ said Bianca Austin, ‘and this is not okay.’
‘I was reassured Wednesday of why I have no faith in the legal system, in the police, in the law that are not made to protect us Black and brown people,’ Austin read.
In Boston, demonstrators gathered in Nubian Square to at part of the nationwide protests.
The protest remained peaceful as they marched to the Boston Police Headquarters later in the night. The group then moved onto City Hall Plaza for a sit-in.
The gathering appeared to be among the larger groups the city of Boston has seen in some time.
Some carried signs with messages such as ‘Justice 4 Breonna,’ ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and ‘Let Black women dream.’
The demonstration was largely peaceful with no arrests had been reported as of 10:45pm.
‘I feel like that message being sent that cops can do whatever they want and not be held accountable so this is just an attempt to reenergize the city and reenergize anyone that sees this to get back out on the streets to fight and increase the antiracist movement because this is not ok,’ organizer Ernest Jacques Jr. said to WHDH.
LOUISVILLE: Protests over the killing of Breonna Taylor continued for the third day in a row Friday
LOUISVILLE: Protesters marched to First Unitarian Church and stayed there past the cities 9pm curfew. Pictured is protest organizer in front of the First Unitarian Church
LOUISVILLE: Protests over the killing of Breonna Taylor continued for the third day in a row Friday. Pictured are protesters marching down Market Street in the city
LOUISVILLE: Protests over the killing of Breonna Taylor continued for the third day in a row. Pictured is a woman holding a BLM flag in front of the First Unitarian Church
The mayor of Boston Marty Walsh urged calm and asked demonstrators to respect the city ahead of the protest.
‘I’m asking people planning to demonstrate in Boston tonight and over the weekend to respect the city and respect each other,’ he said. ‘I’m asking you to keep it peaceful, I’m asking you to keep it powerful. People are deeply upset, but we cannot turn to violence to express our pain.’
‘We want to maintain law and order and at the same time protect everyone’s ability to peacefully assembler and make their voices heard. So in case, there is a need for us we’re a little bit closer than we were perhaps in May,’ Lt. Colonel Bryan Pillai said.
‘Start charging police officers for murder. You in your house sleeping, you ain’t safe. Usually the rebuttal is don’t fight the police, cooperate. How the hell do you do that sleeping?’ community activist Monica Cannon-Grant said to NBC Boston.
LOUISVILLE: A woman holds a BLM flag in front of the Breonna Taylor memorial at Jackson Square Park
LOUISVILLE: A woman wearing a protective mask holds a portrait of Breonna Taylor during the march