President Trump tweeted an FBI poster Friday with images of 15 suspects who authorities said smashed a statue of Andrew Jackson that protesters tried unsuccessfully to tear down during clashes with police in Washington, DC earlier this week. .
“MANY people in custody, and many others, are being wanted for federally owned vandalism in Lafayette Park. 10-year prison terms! @FBIWFO,” Trump wrote.
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Hundreds of protesters gathered Monday in Lafayette Park near the White House and attempted to knock down the statue of the seventh president with ropes and chains before police dispersed the crowd. Nine people were arrested Tuesday night and a total of 12 were arrested between Monday and Wednesday, according to Washington DC police.
Trump previously expressed admiration for Jackson, a slave owner who has been the target of protesters in the past. Last year, he halted plans to replace Jackson with abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $ 20 bill.
Monday’s meeting came amid a series of incidents in which monuments of Confederate soldiers and other historical figures with racist backgrounds have been attacked.
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The White House is visible behind a statue of President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park on Tuesday in Washington, with the word “Assassin” spray-painted on its base. Protesters attempted to tear down the statue on Monday night. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
The backlash against the numbers stemmed from protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody last month, prompting a racial trial in the United States against racial injustice and police brutality. Since then, protesters have been emboldened about attacking statues considered offensive.
Trump is expected to sign an executive order to add protections to such monuments and memorials. On Tuesday, he spoke on the subject after a statue of Confederate General Albert Pike was knocked down on June 19, June 19, the day that marks the end of slavery in the United States, in Washington.
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“I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who destroys or destroys any federal monument, statue or other property in the United States with up to 10 years in prison, in accordance with the Veterans Monument Preservation Act or any other law that may be pertinent …. “he posted.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
