ESPN’s Kellerman claims ‘extremist right-wing agitators’ are responsible for violent protests

ESPN’s Max Kellerman claimed Tuesday that “extremist right-wing agitators” were responsible for the recent violence in some U.S. cities.

During a debate on the network’s mid-morning program “First Take,” Kellerman said “93 percent of the protests are peaceful.”

“And by the way, the 7 percent [that] are not, there is a very broad definition of what’s not quote-unquote peaceful. For example, if you block traffic or something like that. Or if you respond to police provocation,” he said.

“And even then, a big percentage of that that wasn’t peaceful is actually outside agitators, extremist right-wing agitators posing as protesters to make the protests look bad,” Kellerman argued.

The comments from the longtime boxing analyst comes as a USA Today/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found that 64 percent of adults surveyed said American cities are under siege amid protests that have swept the nation following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other racial injustice.

The poll results were split sharply along party lines, with 83 percent of those identifying as Republican saying cities are under siege, while only 48 percent of Democrats felt the same.

The demonstrations have at times led to violent clashes, sometimes involving police and other times with civilians. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been accused of killing two protesters and wounding a third in Kenosha, Wis., during a night of protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

According to a report by Property Claim Services (PCS) last week, vandalism and looting across 20 states since late May have resulted in at least $1 billion in damages. PCS estimated that civil unrest this year will ultimately lead to $2 billion of paid insurance claims.