Minneapolis, May 31 : Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as activated "full mobilization" of the National Guard after four straight nights of violent protests in the US state's biggest city of Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody. The move on Saturday represents the largest domestic deployment in the Minnesota National Guard's 164-year history, Xinhua news agency. More than 1,000 additional Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen will be activated on Saturday, according to a tweet from the state's National Guard. This is in addition to the 700 that were on duty as of late last night, the tweet said. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis on Friday night, defying a citywide 8 p.m. curfew that had been announced earlier that day. Businesses were burned and vandalized, as the rioting continued, said local media reports. "So, let's be very clear. The situation in Minneapolis is no longer, in any way, about the murder of George Floyd," the Governor said at a press conference on Saturday morning. "It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities." Floyd, aged 46, died on Monday after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, held him down with a knee on his neck though he repeatedly pleaded, "I can't breathe", and "please, I can't breathe". Chauvin was arrested and charged with three-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday. Floyd's plea before his death evoked African-Americans' painful memories and sparked a nationwide cry for justice. In 2014, an unarmed black man, Eric Garner, repeatedly saying "I can't breathe" when a New York officer held him in a chokehold before his death in police custody. Since then, the plea has become a rallying cry at demonstrations against police misconduct across the country. Floyd's death has led to violent protests in other major US cities. In New York, officials on Saturday denounced acts of violence that took place during the protests, leading to the arrest of 300 protesters . Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a briefing that some protesters "came with an agenda of violence and incitement", and the city does not allow it to happen. Since Thursday, thousands of New Yorkers have taken to the street to voice their anger over police brutality and racism in the country that together led to Floyd's death. On Saturday, more people joined demonstrations held at various locations across the city. Meanwhile, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced a city-wide curfew from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. after protests broke out downtown. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also announced that a curfew will be in effect in the city's downtown that began from 8 p.m. Saturday to 5.30 a.m. Sunday following four days of demonstrations. On Friday night, multiple businesses were looted and damaged in an unrest in downtown Los Angeles that ended with more than 530 arrests and six policemen injured. A Friday night protest in the Northern California city of Oakland turned into a riot with dozens of protestors arrested. The city's Police Department said in a tweet that the peaceful demonstration turned out to be an unlawful assembly and multiple officers were injured. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has sent state resources to ensure peaceful protests in cities. Abbott said the Texas Department of Public Safety has sent more than 1,500 officers to assist local police departments in the cities of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. His move came after four police officers were injured in Houston on Friday night as nearly 200 people were arrested in a night of chaos in the city's downtown. The rally started Friday afternoon and deteriorated into violence in the evening. By Saturday morning, broken windows and graffiti were seen as the crowds dispersed. Protests over Floyd's death also took place in a number of other US cities, including Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix and Memphis, local media reported, adding that more demonstrations were expected to take place across the country. /IANS