New Black Panther leader: 'Willing to kill' in U.S. 'war' on blacks

BALTIMORE, May 1 (UPI) -- The leader of the New Black Panther Party says the United States has declared war against the nation's black population -- and that, like American revolutionaries, they are willing to kill if that's what it takes to achieve justice in the aftermath of Freddie Gray's death.

Hashim Nzinga, the national chairman of the black rights organization, made the remarks this week on Black Power Radio -- in response to the nationwide outrage over Gray's mysterious death, Breitbart reported Thursday.

Nzinga said that the United States has effectively declared war on black Americans by sending "military police in the black neighborhood" to protect the wealthy -- so they are well within their rights to fight for justice.

"We have to love ourselves enough to be willing to die or kill to save our babies and to save a black nation that is dying before our eyes," he said.

Hundreds of thousands have participated in protests nationwide since Gray died April 19, a week after he was arrested by Baltimore police and sustained a spine fracture while in custody. Some of the protests have been marred by violence, but most have been peaceful.

"We pay taxes. They have declared war on us and it's nothing but state racism," Nzinga added. "America is about protecting the rich and the powerful."

The party's leader went on to liken his movement to the American Revolution, when patriots fought to free the nation from British rule behind leaders like George Washington.

"So if we say we are at war, we should be applauded like George Washington," Nzinga said. "We should be applauded like Thomas Jefferson. We should be applauded like the Founding Fathers of the country."

Nzinga has led the New Black Panther Party since October 2013. The organization was founded in 1989 and identifies with the original Black Panther Party, although members of the latter have previously declared the NBBP to be an illegitimate offshoot.