Trump Urges 2 Vandals Of George Washington's Statues In New York To Turn Themselves In

Trump Urges 2 Vandals of George Washington's Statues in New York to Turn Themselves In

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on the two people who vandalized two statues of George Washington in New York City to turn themselves in, warning that they could face up to 10 years in jail for the crime

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2020) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on the two people who vandalized two statues of George Washington in New York City to turn themselves in, warning that they could face up to 10 years in jail for the crime.

"We are tracking down the two Anarchists who threw paint on the magnificent George Washington Statue in Manhattan. We have them on tape," Trump said via Twitter. "They will be prosecuted and face 10 years in Prison based on the Monuments and Statues Act. Turn yourselves in now!"

On Monday, local media reported that the two George Washington statues were defaced with red paint. The vandals were caught on surveillance footage.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the protection of the country's monuments, which have become a major target for protesters during a month of violent clashes and demonstrations following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year old black man, in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.

According to Trump's order, those found guilty of vandalizing statues and monuments could face 10 years in jail.

Floyd died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes in an incident captured on video that went viral.

In many cities across the country, statues depicting former Confederate generals, presidents who owned slaves, and Christopher Columbus, the fifteenth-century Italian explorer who was said to have discovered North America, have been targeted by protesters.