U.S. former vice-president and current Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden condemned on Monday the violence and destruction of property occurring amid ongoing anti-racism protests in the U.S., saying “rioting is not protesting.”

Biden made the remarks during a speech he delivered in Pittsburgh, Pa. after being accused by President Trump of not doing enough to publicly condemn the violence.

"I want to make it absolutely clear, rioting is not protesting, looting is not protesting, setting fires is not protesting, none of this is protesting," he said.

Biden called for the prosecution of those responsible for vandalism and setting property on fire, saying “it’s lawlessness, and those who do it should be prosecuted.”

Several U.S. cities including Kenosha and Portland have been seeing ongoing unrest and protests in response to police brutality, fueled by the latest high-profile incident of police violence against a person of colour: Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot in the back multiple times by a police officer in Kenosha last Sunday.

Blake's shooting sparked a wave of protests which saw many professional sports leagues across North America temporarily shut down in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.

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