Joe Biden was the Dem candidate for POTUS, which makes him the de facto head of the party and he condemned the violence early and clearly.
Biden has consistently condemned instances of violent protest, including BLM and antifa
After George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer May 25, protests by anti-racist and anti-fascist activists erupted around the nation. The demonstrations, which continued throughout the summer, at times turned violent and resulted in deaths and property damage.
Though Biden voiced support for protesters’ right to demonstrate, he has consistently condemned violence, including acts linked to activists from Black Lives Matter and antifa, a political movement of far-left militants who oppose neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations and other events.
Here are five of his statements to that effect last summer.
On May 29, he told
CNN that people “have a right to be, in fact, angry and frustrated. And more violence, hurting more people, isn’t going to answer the question."
On May 31, he wrote in a statement on
Medium that protesting police brutality is “right and necessary” and “an utterly American response."
“But burning down communities and needless destruction is not,” Biden wrote. “Violence that endangers lives is not. Violence that guts and shutters businesses that serve the community is not.”
On June 2, in a speech in Philadelphia, recorded by
ABC News, Biden said there is "no place for violence, no place for looting or destroying property or burning churches or destroying businesses."
"We need to distinguish between legitimate peaceful protest and opportunistic violent destruction," he said.
On July 28, in a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, he echoed that sentiment, per
C-SPAN.
“Peaceful protesters should be protected – but arsonists and anarchists should be prosecuted – and local law enforcement can do that," he said.
On Aug. 31, after a man was fatally shot in Portland, Oregon, Biden released a statement on his
campaign website with another condemnation of protest-related violence: "The deadly violence we saw overnight in Portland is unacceptable," he said. "Shooting in the streets of a great American city is unacceptable. I condemn this violence unequivocally. I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same."