Washington: As America grapples with racism in its past, President Donald Trump lined up squarely with those who argue that the pendulum has swung too far in favour of removing statues and other symbols of that flawed history, saying mistakes will be repeated if not learned from and understood. Trump’s campaign also sees the divide over this latest cultural flash point as a way to boost the president’s standing, which has suffered during his handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the protests over racial injustice that followed George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
After weeks spent demanding law and order in response to the protests sparked by Floyd’s death by police, Trump began to draw a line in the sand.
He promised executive action to protect monuments after some statues of Confederates and other historical figures with checkered life stories were angrily brought down from parks and other places of public prominence.
Trump said he wants the maximum punishment available under federal law up to a decade in prison for those who destroy or tamper with statues on public property that commemorate anyone who served in the US military. He said the executive order would reinforce existing law.
We are looking at long-term jail sentences for these vandals and these hoodlums and these anarchists and agitators, Trump said, referring to protesters who have vented their anger over racial injustice by toppling statues of figures tied to America’s racist history.
He spoke out after an attempt Monday night to bring down a Lafayette Park statue of Andrew Jackson, one of Trump’s favorite presidents, was foiled by police in the park across from the White House.
—Agencies

Press Trust of India