President Donald Trump on Tuesday said numerous people have been detained and promised that more would be arrested after protesters vandalized a statue of Andrew Jackson and St. John's Church in Washington, DC
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2020) President Donald Trump on Tuesday said numerous people have been detained and promised that more would be arrested after protesters vandalized a statue of Andrew Jackson and St. John's Church in Washington, DC.
"Last night, we stopped an attack on a great monument - the monument of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park," Trump said, thanking the law enforcement for their work. "Numerous people are in jail and going to jail today. People are already there, but we are looking at long-term sentences under the Act. We have a very specific Monuments Act."
Trump said his administration was seeking long-term jail sentences for the vandals, whom he also referred to as anarchists and agitators.
"They are bad people, they don't love our country, and they are not taking down our monuments . I just want to make that clear," Trump said.
Trump said earlier on Tuesday he had authorized the Federal government to arrest any person vandalizing or destroying any monument or statue, and prosecute them with prison sentences of up to 10 years.
The action takes effect immediately and may also be used retroactively, Trump said via Twitter.
Jackson was a slave owner and was known for his harsh treatment of Native Americans when he served as the country's seventh president.
