Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Who's Behind the Violence at George Floyd Protests in US? Jamie Dettmer The daytime protests this week across the United States have been largely peaceful, consisting of people drawn from all racial backgrounds and all walks of life, young and old. They have including mothers fearful that what befell George Floyd -- an African-American man who died in police custody after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes -- could all too easily happen to their sons. But many of the nights since Floyd's death have been different, full of rampant pillaging, arson and vandalism and brawling with police. There have been isolated incidents of shots being fired at police. In their turn, protesters blame police for heavy-handed tactics and say they are merely defending themselves. Who's behind the violence? President Donald Trump and some of his top officials accuse "radical left" agitators for the mayhem. U.S. Attorney General William Barr points the finger at "far-left extremist groups" including Antifa, a network of confrontational, autonomous far-left groups. .