A Minnesota rapper has stood by his social media posts idolizing the increasingly violent protests in France, which resulted in some 2,500 arrests over the weekend.
Tufawon, whose real name is Rafael Gonzalez Jr., made a series of posts on Facebook advocating for White people in the United States to “go outside and raise hell” after he and Greta Thunberg visited Lycée Paul Éluard, the high school in Saint-Denis where many of the student demonstrations kicked off this month.
“Do I think way more people need to become radicalized here? Absolutely, especially white people, and that’s where I think we can take influence from the French.”
“All Power to the People!” the 40-year-old rapper wrote on Facebook. “Go f— s— up white people. It’s your time.”
In an earlier post, he clarified that when he says White Americans need to “raise hell” or “f— s— up” about supposed fascism and authoritarianism under the Trump administration, he means they need to “take it to next level peacefully and legally.”
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And in a statement to The New York Post, Tufawon said his Facebook posts “fall under figurative speech and in no way, shape or form did I use them with the intent to incite violence of any kind.”
Tufawon, who is part Native American, also told the Post that his participation in some of the French protests last week was impromptu because he had been on vacation in the country.
In one video, he was in front of a crowd chanting “f— ICE” and “ICE out” before performing his song “No One Is Illegal.”
The protests in France, which began weeks ago as student-led demonstrations against poor classroom conditions and education funding cuts, have now devolved into widespread riots involving a range of political and ideological factions.
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Images and videos posted to social media on Saturday and Sunday showed groups of men waving foreign flags while engaging in acts of destruction on the streets of France’s major cities.
A Fox News Digital investigation found that communist organizations, Islamic advocacy groups, labor unions and environmental activists were involved in the unrest.
French officials said they have arrested over 2,500 people in connection with the demonstrations, which have drawn participants motivated by a range of issues, including the cost of living and climate change.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country, though looting and violence broke out in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and other cities.
Shops were broken into, vehicles and buildings were set on fire and in Marseille, the city hall building was set ablaze by agitators. Rioters have so far caused about $1 billion in damage.
President Donald Trump has preemptively sought to discourage similar conduct in the U.S., saying Tuesday that federal law enforcement would treat potential rioters “very, very rough.”
More demonstrations are planned across France on Saturday, with French officials planning a massive security deployment ahead of time to deal with expected unrest.
