Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh garnered a lot of controversy on Twitter in the aftermath of the Dallas police shooting, after declaring war on President Barack Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“3 Dallas Cops killed, 7 wounded. This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you,” read a tweet that has since been deleted.
READ MORE: Suspect in Dallas police shooting that killed 5 cops ‘wanted to kill white people’
Five officers were killed and seven injured Thursday after snipers launched an “ambush-style” attack on police during what was supposed to be a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest.
The chief of Dallas police said Friday morning that one of the suspects told negotiators he wanted to “kill white people, especially white officers.”
Walsh’s tweet quickly garnered massive criticism — some even suggesting the politician should be charged with threatening the president and have the secret service arrest him.
Shortly after the original tweet was deleted, Walsh clarified that he wasn’t calling for violence against Obama, but maintained his belief that “Obama’s words and Black Lives Matter’s deeds have gotten cops killed.”
Walsh, who served as an Illinois congressman from 2011 to 2013, continued to tweet about the Dallas shooting Friday morning, mentioning Obama’s alleged involvement in nearly every tweet.
Walsh’s tweets also blame the Black Lives Matter movement for encouraging violence against police. In one tweet, he declared the anti-discrimination group should be categorized as a hate group.
Several prominent Black Lives Matter leaders took to their Twitter accounts Friday to condemn the attack in Dallas and deny claims the group advocates violence against police.
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“#BlackLivesMatter advocates dignity, justice and freedom, not the murder of cops. Police violence, not #BlackLove, creates violence,” said one organizer.
Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King praised Dallas police for being “one of the better police departments in the country” and noted the force has welcomed protests in the past.