George Floyd y Jacob Blake están siendo dos de los nombres más escuchados en la carrera presidencial en Estados Unidos. Y no precisamente porque sean candidatos. El primero no estará para ver cómo ha marcado el ritmo de los acontecimientos, ya que el 25 de mayo murió asfixiado en Mineápolis por un policía que se arrodilló sobre su cuello en un arresto. El segundo lucha estos días contra la muerte esposado a la cama de un hospital —a pesar de no poder andar— tras ser abatido a tiros por otros agentes en presencia de sus hijos. Ambos tienen algo en común: son afroamericanos y forman parte de los incontables ejemplos de racismo estructural que hay en el país.
La muerte de George Floyd mientras pedía ayuda y repetía una y otra vez que no podía respirar fue la el desencadenante de las protestas más masivas en el país desde los años 60, salpicadas por algunos altercados violentos que han vuelto a encenderse sólo tres meses después con los disparos a quemarropa a Jacob Blake. Este verano ha habido casi 11.000 manifestaciones en el país y la policía ha intervenido en unas 725 de ellas, según los últimos datos de US Crisis Monitor. Aunque la mayoría de las protestas no son violentas, la última semana han muerto al menos cuatro personas. La policía ha reprimido varias de las concentraciones con gases lacrimógenos, golpes a manifestantes o balas de goma.
Las líneas divisorias cada vez están más marcadas en el país y las protestas y la respuesta a las mismas cada vez más violentas, llegando a parecer las calles de algunas ciudades campos de batalla. El presidente Trump agita estas protestas con declaraciones incendiaras y provocadoras. La tensión es tal que la situación tiene rasgos de confrontación civil.
De hecho, la policía y la Guardia Nacional no son los únicos actores. También grupos no gubernamentales de extrema derecha —algunos vinculados a supremacistas blancos y el Ku Klux Klan— que actúan por su propia cuenta contra los manifestantes citándose por internet y animándose unos a otros a ir armados. Estos grupos extremistas han organizado alrededor de 400 manifestaciones contra el movimiento ‘Black Lives Matter’ (‘Las vidas negras importan’) con el lema ‘Blue Lives Matter’, utilizado también en algunos mítines de Trump y que se refiere a la vida de los policías.
Protestas en junio en Mineápolis. Ringo Chiu / reuters
“Tenemos todas las piezas para que haya una tormenta perfecta, por decirlo de alguna forma, a medida que nos acercamos más a las elecciones”, ha asegurado el doctor Roudabeh Kishi, director de investigación e innovación del centro de datos US Crisis Monitor, a los compañeros de The HuffPost. Se trata de un momento de crispación en el país a sólo dos meses de unos comicios en los que aún no hay nada decidido y en los que los negros representan alrededor de un 12,5% del electorado.
“Las próximas semanas van a ser una especie de seguimiento real de cómo evoluciona todo”, asegura el politólogo Jorge Galindo a El HuffPost. “Lo que importa son un puñado de votos de los estados que votaron a Obama y después a Trump”, explica el experto. En 2016, la elección se decidió por 200.000 votantes en cuatro estados, por lo que “es muy difícil de calibrar”.
Por su parte, José Antonio Gurpegui, investigador principal del Instituto Franklin-UAH, cree que se utilizará mucho esta cuestión en campaña, aunque “no sabe” hasta qué punto pueden afectar finalmente en las elecciones.
El ‘ley y orden’ de Trump
“Nadie sabe qué va a hacer Donald Trump y de qué es capaz”, explica Galindo. El presidente se ha apropiado del famoso lema ‘ley y orden’ (law and order) y ha aprovechado las protestas para hacerlo un pilar central de su campaña. Ha arremetido y criminalizado sin distinciones al grupo Antifa y el movimiento Black Lives Matter y aún no ha condenado los asesinatos de Kenosha.
Una parte de los swing voters (aquellos ciudadanos cuyo voto oscila entre un partido y otro) en los estados clave son población blanca sin estudios universitarios. “Es la gente que en principio es más cercana a las posiciones de ley y orden, con algo de racismo implícito o actitudes racistas”, asegura Galindo. Los sectores anti-Trump del Partido Republicano temen que las protestas “polaricen demasiado” y esto ayude “a que Trump movilice este voto a su favor”, explica el politólogo.
Gurpegui coincide con esta tesis: “Trump lanza un mensaje de ley y orden para reforzar el voto que ya tenía, por lo que las protestas podrían revalidar su voto y este discurso”.
Joe Biden, un candidato entre medias
Joe Biden es un “buen candidato para el voto afroamericano”, dice Galindo. La elección de Kamala Harris, primera mujer negra en postular a la vicepresidencia, “ha sido un gesto con las etnias minoritarias”, añade Gurpetegui.
“Son candidatos caleidoscópicos. Kamala es de las que más a la izquierda ha votado en el Senado, pero también tiene un pasado como fiscal general relacionado con esa parte de ley y orden”. Se trata de candidatos con “muchos ángulos” y “es posible que cualquier tipo de votante, más o menos moderado, les vea cercanos a su posición”.
Pero también llegan a otro electorado. “A Biden, las protestas le pueden venir mejor porque moviliza al votante demócrata de izquierdas que votaba a Sanders y que en 2016 no pudo movilizar Clinton. Personas que votan para echar a Trump”, explica Gurpegui.
¿Un momento histórico en EEUU?
Más allá de cómo pueda afectar a las elecciones, habrá que observar qué pasa los próximos meses en Estados Unidos y “si estamos en un momento como el de los Derechos Civiles de los 60 en el que quedó claro que si no estabas en el lado correcto de la historia lo estabas del incorrecto”, explica Galindo. “Porque puede ser así y entonces todo esto de las elecciones da igual”, añade. Si esto se decanta con un “viraje paulatino pero constante o en lugar de mantenerse la polarización y acabásemos con una especie de norma social, como en los años 60, con un nuevo aparato legislativo, la cuestión electoral no importa”, asegura.
Eso sí, lo que pase en las elecciones podría ser un indicador de esto. “Si a Trump le va fatal y se la pega porque se queda mucho votante en casa, es una pista de que estamos en un momento con más calado”, añade Galindo.
Según las encuestas recogidas por la BBC, en las últimas semanas Biden se ha mantenido en torno al 50% y ha llegado a tener una ventaja de 10 puntos en algunos momentos, pero Trump ha recuperado terreno recientemente. Los expertos coinciden en que la situación de las protestas podría intensificarse durante y volverse más violenta según se acerquen estos comicios en los que aún no hay nada decidido.
Protestas contra el racismo en EEUU
Protesta en Atlanta.
Disturbios en Mineapolis.
Queman un coche de la Policía en Atlanta.
Protestas en Oakland (California).
Edificio calcinado en Mineapolis.
Protestas en Charlotte (Carolina del Norte).
Protestas en Nueva York.
Protestas en Atlanta.
Disturbios en Atlanta.
La Policía carga contra los manifestantes en Detroit (Michigan).
Un edificio destrozado en Oakland (California)
Protestas en Mineapolis.
Un grupo de manifestantes en una protesta en Nueva York, Estados Unidos, el 29 de mayo de 2020 en rechazo a la muerte bajo la custodia policial del afroamericano George Floyd.
Un grupo de manifestantes participa en la quema de una comisaría en Minneapolis.
Protestas en Minneapolis por la muerte de un afroamericano a manos de la policía.
Protestas en Minneapolis por la muerte de un afroamericano a manos de la policía.
Protestas en EEUU por el racismo en EEUU.
Demonstrators pray during a march, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A protester tries to talk the police back amid tear gas in downtown Atlanta, Sunday, May 31, 2020. Protests continue across the country over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on...
Police hold off protesters during a solidarity rally for George Floyd, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who di...
A police officer shouts to members of the media while trying to clear the streets of demonstrators in Memphis, Tennessee, early Monday, June 1, 2020, protesting the death of George Floyd who died in Minneapolis police custody May 25, 2020. (Da...
Manifestantes encienden una hoguera durante una protesta por la muerte de George Floyd el domingo 31 de mayo 2020, cerca de la Casa Blanca, en Washington.
People break into a smoke shop on Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who died after being restrained by police officers on Memori...
People run out of a smoke shop that they broke into as police arrive on the scene on Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who died ...
Protestors celebrate after eluding authorities and stopping traffic along Interstate 55 in Memphis, Tennessee, Sunday, May 31, 2020, during a protest over the death of George Floyd on May 25. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian via AP)
Police stop a driver in the SoHo shopping district Sunday, May 31, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. (AP Pho...
Arrested protesters are loaded onto a transport bus by police on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officer...
Demonstrators march, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
A white man and a black man clasp hands as police in the background guard the old state capitol in Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was the second day of protests in the North Carolina capital following the death of Minnesotan George F...
A protester runs through tear gas on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Las Vegas, during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. (AP Photo/Stev...
A brick protrudes from a shattered window in downtown Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was the second day of protests in the North Carolina capital following the death of Minnesotan George Floyd while in police custody. (AP Photo/Allen...
A protester confronts police during a rally in downtown Lexington, Ky., against the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor on Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
A woman walks past a store boarded up with a message as protests over the death of George Floyd continue Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Los Angeles. Armed National Guard soldiers lined the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, and cities across California d...
Nick Brentley demonstrates in San Francisco on Sunday, May 31, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
CHARLOTTE, USA - MAY 31: Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protest in downtown Charlotte turn violent in NC, United States on May 31, 2020 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 1: People gather during a protest held against police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in New York, United States on June 1, 2020. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: (This image has been converted to black and white.) Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States follo...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: (This image has been converted to black and white.) Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States follo...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: UFC fighter Israel Adesanya joins in the protest down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of ...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: A protestor marches down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George F...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Protesters take part in a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, England. Protests and riots continue across American following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minn...
A protester reacts after being hit by pepper spray from police as their group of demonstrators are detained prior to arrest at a gas station on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued sparked by the deat...
A protester reacts after being hit by crowd dispersal rounds as a group of demonstrators are detained prior to arrest at a gas station on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued sparked by the death of G...
EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A worker removes graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as...
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Protesters take part in a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, England. Protests and riots continue across American following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minn...
People remove graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd on June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as anti-racism protestors again to...
People remove graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd on June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as anti-racism protestors again to...
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Un coche arde en Atlanta en las protestas por el asesinato de George Floyd.
Un grupo de manifestantes en una protesta en Nueva York, Estados Unidos, el 29 de mayo de 2020 en rechazo a la muerte bajo la custodia policial del afroamericano George Floyd.
Demonstrators pray during a march, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A protester tries to talk the police back amid tear gas in downtown Atlanta, Sunday, May 31, 2020. Protests continue across the country over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on...
Police hold off protesters during a solidarity rally for George Floyd, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who di...
A police officer shouts to members of the media while trying to clear the streets of demonstrators in Memphis, Tennessee, early Monday, June 1, 2020, protesting the death of George Floyd who died in Minneapolis police custody May 25, 2020. (Da...
Manifestantes encienden una hoguera durante una protesta por la muerte de George Floyd el domingo 31 de mayo 2020, cerca de la Casa Blanca, en Washington.
People break into a smoke shop on Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who died after being restrained by police officers on Memori...
People run out of a smoke shop that they broke into as police arrive on the scene on Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who died ...
Protestors celebrate after eluding authorities and stopping traffic along Interstate 55 in Memphis, Tennessee, Sunday, May 31, 2020, during a protest over the death of George Floyd on May 25. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian via AP)
Police stop a driver in the SoHo shopping district Sunday, May 31, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. (AP Pho...
Arrested protesters are loaded onto a transport bus by police on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officer...
Demonstrators march, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
A white man and a black man clasp hands as police in the background guard the old state capitol in Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was the second day of protests in the North Carolina capital following the death of Minnesotan George F...
A protester runs through tear gas on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Las Vegas, during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. (AP Photo/Stev...
A brick protrudes from a shattered window in downtown Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was the second day of protests in the North Carolina capital following the death of Minnesotan George Floyd while in police custody. (AP Photo/Allen...
A protester confronts police during a rally in downtown Lexington, Ky., against the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor on Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
A woman walks past a store boarded up with a message as protests over the death of George Floyd continue Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Los Angeles. Armed National Guard soldiers lined the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, and cities across California d...
Nick Brentley demonstrates in San Francisco on Sunday, May 31, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
CHARLOTTE, USA - MAY 31: Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protest in downtown Charlotte turn violent in NC, United States on May 31, 2020 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 1: People gather during a protest held against police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in New York, United States on June 1, 2020. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: (This image has been converted to black and white.) Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States follo...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: (This image has been converted to black and white.) Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States follo...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: UFC fighter Israel Adesanya joins in the protest down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of ...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: A protestor marches down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George F...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Protesters take part in a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, England. Protests and riots continue across American following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minn...
A protester reacts after being hit by pepper spray from police as their group of demonstrators are detained prior to arrest at a gas station on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued sparked by the deat...
A protester reacts after being hit by crowd dispersal rounds as a group of demonstrators are detained prior to arrest at a gas station on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued sparked by the death of G...
EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A worker removes graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as...
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Protesters take part in a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, England. Protests and riots continue across American following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minn...
People remove graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd on June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as anti-racism protestors again to...