Vice president Pence demands law and order after police shootings trigger violence
More protests have been triggered by the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, who was shot seven times by a police officer.
Thursday 27 August 2020 10:03, UK
The US vice president has demanded an end to the violence engulfing the country, in a hastily changed speech to the Republican National Convention (RNC).
It comes after Donald Trump dispatched the national guard to Kenosha near Milwaukee to "restore law and order", after the shooting of black man Jacob Blake by a police officer triggered more protests in the US.
"Let me be clear: the violence must stop. Whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha," Mike Pence said in his RNC speech.
"Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down.
"We will have law and order on the streets of America."
Mr Pence also lambasted people who have attempted to take down statues in the US, while asserting that the Trump Administration supports the right to free speech and peaceful protest in his address from Fort McHenry, close to Washington DC.
The vice president's speech rounded out a third day at the RNC, which largely blamed Democrats for the violence and rioting in the wake of a series of shootings of black people by police.
Another major speaker on Wednesday evening was outgoing White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, who used her slot to attack the Democrat's candidate Joe Biden, and his running mate Kamala Harris.
"A woman in a leadership role still can seem novel. Not so for President Trump," she said.
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"For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government.
"He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions, and insists that we are on equal footing with the men."
Mrs Conway recently announced she was stepping away from the White House to spend more time with her family, after it was well publicised that her husband and daughter do not share her political views.
Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, and Karen Pence, the second lady, also both spoke on the conference's third night, to make an appeal to women voters that Donald Trump is their candidate.
It leaves the convention waiting to hear from President Trump on Thursday, who is likely to go on the offensive against Joe Biden when he speaks on the White House's south lawn in front of an audience - despite the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.