Trump says govt won't let emancipation memorial to be destroyed as protesters say 'tear down this motherf****r'
President Donald Trump's administration is reportedly standing firm in its stance and will "not allow" the Emancipation Memorial to be destroyed by activists amid the widespread Black Lives Matter protests in the country.
House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), in a statement, on Wednesday, June 24, said: "Just talked to @SecBernhardt. President @realDonaldTrump will not allow the Emancipation Memorial of President Lincoln to be destroyed by the left-wing mob. Thank you to our law enforcement for protecting our national treasures."
The statement from McCarthy comes at a time when Black Lives Matter demonstrators and other allies, amid the ongoing anti-racism protests across the US and around the world, have been demanding from the authorities to take down monuments honoring pro-slavery Confederate figures and the architects of Europe's colonies. President Trump, however, has warned anti-racism demonstrators from tearing down or vandalizing problematic public statues, stating that they will have to face at least 10 years in prison if they do so.
The administration has reportedly put hundreds of National Guardsmen on standby to protect monuments in Washington DC amid growing tensions and threats. The officials, however, will be unarmed and will serve as "uniformed deterrence". Pentagon spokesperson Lt Col Christian Mitchell, in a statement, said: "Since their activation, none of the National Guard members have been dispatched to actual monument locations to provide assistance to the NPP. They remain on standby at the DC Armory at this time. They will support US Park Police at key monuments to prevent any defacing or destruction."
The House Minority leader's statement came after a warning from a protester, who on Tuesday, June 23, announced that demonstrators will tear down the bronze statue in Lincoln Park on Thursday, June 25, at 7 PM. The controversial statue depicts Abraham Lincoln freeing a black slave. The activist stated: "Thursday at 7.00 pm, we tearing this motherf****r down!” as crowds surrounding the emancipation memorial cheered. The activist also invited the crowd gathered around the controversial monument to follow an Instagram account titled @thefreedomneighborhood, which contains details of their plans to take the statue down.
The Instagram group, in a Q&A post stated: "This statue represents a message that the freedoms and liberation of black people can only happen if it is on the white mans [sic] terms." The group, however, claimed that they "respect Lincoln and his sacrifice" but they "do not respect the imagery of his hand over a freed slave and the message it sends to our black people." The activists, in place of the emancipation statue, demand a mural of a "black abolition leader based in Washington DC, designed by a black artist, sculptor, or muralist."
When the group was asked whether the statue was coming down, they answered saying: "Anything is possible when the people have the power."
When asked,” Is the statue coming down?” the group answered, “Anything is possible when the people have the power."
Trump, on June 23, had said that he will sign an executive order to address the attacks on monuments. "I will have an executive order very shortly, and all it’s really going to do is reinforce what’s already there but in a more uniform way," the Republican said. "We are looking at long-term jail sentences for these vandals and these hoodlums and these anarchists and agitators,” Trump said. “They’re bad people. They don’t love our country, and they’re not taking down our monuments. These are not protesters, by the way. These are anarchists and other things, if these hoodlums come around and these states can’t handle it, we are ready and willing to help."