Four men charged for trying to pull down statue outside White House
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On Monday evening, a group of protesters attacked the statue of the former president, a slaveowner who led the United States from 1829 to 1837, which stands in Lafayette Park next to the White House. They wrapped ropes around the monument and tried to knock it down.
Four men have been charged for attempting to remove a statue of former president Andrew Jackson from outside the White House as part of anti-racism protests in the United States.
On Monday evening, a group of protesters attacked the statue of the former president, a slaveowner who led the United States from 1829 to 1837, which stands in Lafayette Park next to the White House. They wrapped ropes around the monument and tried to knock it down.
Based on video footage, four were identified tying or pulling the ropes, or passing a hammer to another demonstrator. Aged between 20 and 47, they were charged on Friday with "destruction of federal property".
The charge is punishable by one to 10 years in prison.
On Friday, Donald Trump tweeted calling for arrest of protestors involved in this week's attempt to pull down the statue of Andrew Jackson from a park directly in front of the White House.
One of them was arrested on Friday and presented to a judge on Saturday, while the other three were named but have not yet been apprehended.
The death of George Floyd, an African-American killed by a white police officer on May 25, has ignited mass civil unrest across the country. On the sidelines of those protests, several statues, including of Confederate generals and pro-slavery leaders, have been targetted or pulled down.
Trump, who is running for a second term, on Friday signed an executive order pledging to enforce prosecution for protesters who vandalise public memorials.