Twitter has placed a warning on one of Donald Trump’s tweets about protests in Minneapolis, saying the president violated the platform’s rules about “glorifying violence”.

Trump had lashed out at crowds in the city protesting over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody, calling demonstrators “thugs” who were dishonouring his memory. 

Threatening to send the National Guard to Minneapolis after a third night of unrest in Minneapolis, the president tweeted: “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” 

It came just hours after Trump signed an executive order aimed at removing some of the legal protections given to social media platforms,  with the president accusing them of having “unchecked power”. 

There has been widespread anger in Minneapolis over the death of 46-year-old Floyd, who was seen on video gasping for breath while a white police officer knelt on his neck. 

On the recording, he can be heard telling officers: “Please, I can’t breathe.” 

Since Floyd’s death, four police officers have been fired, with the mayor saying that being black “should not be a death sentence”.

On Thursday night, peaceful rallies about Floyd’s death gave way to arson, looting and vandalism, Reuters reported, with one of the city’s police stations torched amid the unrest. 

Police initially fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who gathered outside the city’s Third Precinct police station. 

However, the station was later set ablaze, with protesters chanting “no peace, no justice” nearby. 

A spokesman for the police force told the Associated Press that officers abandoned the building  “in the interest of the safety of our personnel”. 

A car and at least two other buildings nearby were also set on fire, while looters entered a nearby Target discount store for a second night. 

It follows reports from fire officials that 16 buildings were also set on fire during demonstrations on Wednesday night.