Minneapolis and St Paul saw protests over the police killing of 46-year-old George Floyd (AFP)
US President Donald Trump's tweet on violence that broke out in Minnesota after the death of a handcuffed black man on the hands of the police, which was caught on video, has been flagged by Twitter.
The move to flag the US President's tweet by the world's largest microblogging site run by CEO Jack Dorsey is likely to escalate the fight between the two over policing content online.
"I can't stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right," tweeted Mr Trump.
The US President was referring to a police precinct in Minnesota that went up in flames on Thursday in a third day of demonstrations as the so-called Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul seethed over the shocking police killing 46-year-old George Floyd.
Mr Floyd was arrested by the Minneapolis Police on Monday on suspicion of using a counterfeit banknote. Police handcuffed him and held him to the ground, with a bystander video showing an officer pressing his knee on Mr Floyd's neck. The videos showed Mr Floyd saying that he couldn't breathe until he went silent and limp. He was later declared dead.
"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!" Mr Trump tweeted.
This post was flagged by the microblogging website, which said it "violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible".
Hundreds of people had begun marching in Minneapolis - many wear masks as protection against the novel coronavirus - while in St Paul, just to the east, police said there was ongoing looting as multiple fires were reported on Thursday.
Officials assured angry residents that investigations into Mr Floyd's death were underway, and warned that violence would not be tolerated, news agency AFP reported.
At the request of both cities, the Minnesota Governor called up hundreds of National Guard troops and state police to help with security. "George Floyd's death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction," AFP reported Mr Walz as saying.
Mr Dorsey's war with Mr Trump started after Twitter fact-checked the US President's tweets on mail-in voting, which Mr Trump alleged would lead to what he called a "rigged election" this November.
There is no evidence that attempts are being made to rig the election, and under the tweets Twitter posted a link which read: "Get the facts about mail-in ballots."
With inputs from AFP