Man Accused of Pepper Spraying Protesters and Police Arrested in Murray

Murray State University's Arboretum

A man was arrested Tuesday in Murray after police say he pepper sprayed protesters.

A source tells Local 6 the man sprayed two protesters, as well as police officers. The source says the man was not part of the protest.

One person was taken to the hospital. Read More

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Murray is a sleepy university town in a predominantly rural county. The demonstration was relatively low key affair in comparison to the larger demonstrations elsewhere in the United States and around the world. A small group of people from the community followed a predetermined route from the Arboretum to Sixteenth Street and back again. If anything, it was a token demonstration. A local group felt the need to express their solidarity with other peaceful demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police.

The Klux Klux Clan has in the past sought to create division in the community over race and to recruit new members for their organization. The community, led by its pastors, has resisted the attempts of the Klan to create such a division and establish a presence in the community. Yet the community does have individuals who are alternate right and white supremacist in their political leanings. In the wake of the 2016 presidential election a Nazi-splinter group attempted to recruit followers on the university campus. I have heard at least one student boast that he was a Nazi. I am also aware of individuals who watch Holocaust denial videos and other alternate right propaganda on Youtube.

While I have no personal knowledge of the attacker's political affiliations, I am inclined to suspect that the attacker took his cue from President Trump's speech on how the states should respond to violent demonstrators and looters. One study shows that a number of individuals who have been arrested for violent behavior took their cue from some remark that the president made. For this reason among others even the president's allies have urged him to be more careful in what he says.

Image credit: Murray State University