Independence Day: Donald Trump condemned the demolition of the monument in a July 4 commemoration speech
Saturday, July 4, 2020
UPDATimes - President Donald Trump condemned the protesters who tore down the monument in a recent protest against racism.
This was conveyed in a speech commemorating US Independence Day on July 4 on Mount Rushmore.
He called those who targeted the statues of Confederate leaders "angry mobs".
Trump also called the demonstrations that fight for racial equality as "a merciless campaign to erase our history, damage our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children".
"We will not remain silent," he said.
The president, who has been criticized for his handling of the corona virus pandemic in the United States, does not mention much of the disease which has now killed nearly 130,000 Americans.
The US recorded the biggest daily addition to the corona virus infection last Friday, bringing the total to more than 2.5 million cases - the highest in the world.
Masks and social imprisonment were not required at the event on Mount Rushmore, despite warnings from health officials.
The location of the event was also controversial. Mount Rushmore displays the carved faces of four US presidents, two of them - George Washington and Thomas Jefferson - are slave owners. The monument was also erected on land that was captured by Native American Lakota Sioux citizens by the US government in the 1800s.
This was conveyed in a speech commemorating US Independence Day on July 4 on Mount Rushmore.
He called those who targeted the statues of Confederate leaders "angry mobs".
Trump also called the demonstrations that fight for racial equality as "a merciless campaign to erase our history, damage our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children".
"We will not remain silent," he said.
The president, who has been criticized for his handling of the corona virus pandemic in the United States, does not mention much of the disease which has now killed nearly 130,000 Americans.
The US recorded the biggest daily addition to the corona virus infection last Friday, bringing the total to more than 2.5 million cases - the highest in the world.
Masks and social imprisonment were not required at the event on Mount Rushmore, despite warnings from health officials.
The location of the event was also controversial. Mount Rushmore displays the carved faces of four US presidents, two of them - George Washington and Thomas Jefferson - are slave owners. The monument was also erected on land that was captured by Native American Lakota Sioux citizens by the US government in the 1800s.
What else does Trump say?
In a speech in South Dakota, he said the monument displaying the faces of the four US presidents "will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our ancestors and our freedom".
"This monument will never be tainted, these heroes will never be destroyed," he told the audience, who greeted him with cheers.
In a speech in South Dakota, he said the monument displaying the faces of the four US presidents "will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our ancestors and our freedom".
"This monument will never be tainted, these heroes will never be destroyed," he told the audience, who greeted him with cheers.
President Trump added that people who target "symbols of national heritage" will face "a thorough legal process". He said those who damaged the statue could be sentenced to 10 years in prison, referring to an executive order about protecting the monument he had recently signed.
The fireworks display with musical accompaniment was then held at the pre-Independence Day event, witnessed by around 7,500 spectators.
The show was the first on Mount Rushmore in a decade, after being banned from fears of fireworks igniting fires on dry bushes around the monument.
In his remarks, Republican Governor Kristi Noem of the Republican party also criticized the protesters, accusing them of "trying to erase lessons from history".
The fireworks display with musical accompaniment was then held at the pre-Independence Day event, witnessed by around 7,500 spectators.
The show was the first on Mount Rushmore in a decade, after being banned from fears of fireworks igniting fires on dry bushes around the monument.
In his remarks, Republican Governor Kristi Noem of the Republican party also criticized the protesters, accusing them of "trying to erase lessons from history".
Donald Trump
"This was done deliberately to discredit the basic principles of America," he said.
The event on Friday is the latest event held by President Trump in the midst of a corona virus pandemic, in an effort to encourage supporters ahead of the November presidential election.
The president recently held large events in Oklahoma and Arizona, which drew criticism for the risk of causing a new outbreak as the Covid-19 case continued to grow across the country.
Protest from Native Americans
Native American groups criticized Trump's visit for posing a threat to health, and for celebrating US independence in a sacred territory for them.
Many Native Americans do not celebrate Independence Day because they relate it to the occupation of their homeland and the loss of their cultural independence.
The Mount Rushmore Monument was carved between 1927 and 1941, but the land it stands on - in the Black Hills area of South Dakota - was captured from the native Lakota Sioux tribe by the US government in the 1800s.
"The president is endangering our tribe members for a photo session at one of the most sacred sites for us," said Harold Frazier, head of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Ahead of the event, a group of mostly Native Americans blocked the main road to the monument in white vans. This protest made them face to face the police.
The demonstrators were eventually dispersed by police and National Guard forces with smoke bombs and pepper spray, local media reported.
Their vans were towed and a number of protesters were arrested after police declared the roadblock as an "unlawful crowd," according to the local Argus Leader newspaper.
Ahead of the event, a group of mostly Native Americans blocked the main road to the monument in white vans. This protest made them face to face the police.
The demonstrators were eventually dispersed by police and National Guard forces with smoke bombs and pepper spray, local media reported.
Their vans were towed and a number of protesters were arrested after police declared the roadblock as an "unlawful crowd," according to the local Argus Leader newspaper.
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