Barack Obama: No Excuse For Criminal Acts In Ferguson

Obama: No Excuse For Criminal Acts In Ferguson
A Secret Service Agent stands by a screen showing a live feed as President Barack Obama talks with Jimmy Kimmel while they are taped on Jimmy Kimmel Live, in Los Angeles, Thursday, March 12, 2015. After the taping the president is expected to attend a DNC event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A Secret Service Agent stands by a screen showing a live feed as President Barack Obama talks with Jimmy Kimmel while they are taped on Jimmy Kimmel Live, in Los Angeles, Thursday, March 12, 2015. After the taping the president is expected to attend a DNC event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

LOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday there was no excuse for criminal acts at public protests against racially biased law enforcement practices in Ferguson, Missouri.

The shooting of two police officers at a protest in Ferguson, which has been the center of a debate over race and policing, triggered a manhunt for suspects and increased tensions in the city.

"What had been happening in Ferguson was oppressive and objectionable and was worthy of protest," Obama said during an appearance on the ABC program "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

"But there was no excuse for criminal acts, and whoever fired those shots shouldn't detract from the issue. They're criminals. They need to be arrested," he said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Paul Tait)

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