Juan Williams: Protests are a build up of coronavirus tensions and 'incredible wave' of abuse by police

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Juan Williams: America dealing with three levels of frustration

Fox News political analyst Juan Williams reacts to the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd.

The national outrage sparked by the death of George Floyd is complex and multifaceted, "The Five" co-host Juan Williams said Sunday, outlining the "three levels" of frustration felt by protesters around the country.

"I think clearly there is a great deal of frustration but I would say there are three levels to it," Williams told Fox News' Bret Baier Sunday evening.

"I think that you can't ignore what the country has been going through with the virus, so many people have been pent up, told to shelter in place.

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"Secondly," Williams continued, the economic toll that the coronavirus pandemic has taken on "the poor working-class people in this country and lots of young people..." has been profound, and the protests represent their "frustration," he explained.

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"And then finally, the incredible wave of abuse by the police," Williams said.

Once-peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd devolved into chaos during the weekend, resulting in multiple deaths, dozens of injuries and the destruction of buildings and businesses.

Williams said the reaction is a build-up of multiple factors, primarily the generations-old racial injustice plaguing the country specifically with regard to the police.

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"I think lots of people think it just seems like this is a system that has yet to deal with black people as citizens, not just those to be feared more than others," he explained, "and so there's lots of anger and frustration over the fact that this has been going on for generations."