Trump blasts George Floyd protesters for vandalising Mahatma Gandhi's statue
Trump described the protesters as "thugsā who tore down several statues in the aftermath of George Floydās death, saying they didnāt even spareĀ Mahatma Gandhi.
- World News
- 2 min read
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US President Donald Trump described the protesters as a ābunch of thugsā who tore down several statues in the aftermath of George Floydās death, saying they didnāt even spare Mahatma Gandhi. Addressing an election rally in Minnesota on September 18, Trump said that the protesters ripped down statues of the founding fathers of the United States, including George Washinton and Thomas Jefferson.
āYou know, they started ripping down Abraham Lincoln. When they hit Lincoln, I said wait a minute. This is the man and you can do - then they hit George Washington, Thomas Jefferson. They had everybody," Trump said.
After George Floydās death, statues of slave traders, imperialists, and explorers faced the angst of protesters across the world demonstrating against racial discrimination. As Black Lives Matter protests raged across the country, strong objection over the symbols and statues of Confederate leaders and soldiers were also raised.
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'Bunch of thugs'
In June, the protesters vandalised Mahatma Gandhiās statue with graffiti and spray painting, after which Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun apologised for the incident. He called the Indian ambassador to address the issue and the statue was later refurbished by the Indian embassy with the help of National Park Police.
āThey even had (Mahatma) Gandhi. All Gandhi wanted was one thing, peace. Right? We have peace. Rip down his statue. We don't like him. I don't think they have any idea what they're doing," said Trump.
"I think they're just a bunch of thugs, okay, you want to know the truth. I think they're a bunch of thugs," he added.
Trump has repeatedly blamed Antifa, a far-left group, for the destruction and rioting during the Black Lives Matter protests which largely remained peaceful. The far-left group defends the use of violence to fight the āfascistā forces and, according to an AOL report, call it appropriate tactics against Trumpās āunprecedented levels of surveillance, incarceration, deportations, and police brutality and murders against the US Publicā.