The U.S. President noted that his order comes into force immediately and can be applied to acts of vandalism already committed.
Defacement of monuments in the United States will be punishable by up to 10 years in prison. This was announced on Tuesday by American President Donald Trump.
“I have authorized the federal government to arrest and detain anyone who vandalizes and destroys monuments, statues, and other federal property in the United States and to impose [punishment] up to ten years in prison under the Veterans Memorial Preservation Act and other related acts”, – the American leader wrote on Twitter.
Trump also noted that his order takes immediate effect and can be applied to acts of vandalism already committed.
Another wave of struggle against monuments to political figures of the past began in the U.S. against the backdrop of mass protests over the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis (Minnesota). Police used an asphyxiant device to arrest him on May 25, which soon resulted in Floyd’s death in hospital. All four police officers involved in the arrest were dismissed and charged.
Protests often escalated into riots and robberies. In some cases, vandals destroyed monuments to figures of the Confederation that united the states of the slave-holding south during the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865). In addition, several monuments to navigator Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America for Europeans, as well as the monument to the first U.S. president (1789-1797) George Washington were demolished.