Unarmed National Guard activated and on standby to help protect D.C.
monuments
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[June 25, 2020]
By Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hundreds of unarmed
Washington D.C. National Guard troops were activated and on standby to
assist law enforcement personnel with protecting some historical
monuments, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, after protesters tried to
tear down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson in a park near the
White House.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged to take a hard line on anyone
destroying or vandalizing U.S. historical monuments and threatened to
use force on some protesters, as political activism against racial
injustice continued to sweep the country and threaten his re-election
chances.
Calls for the removal of these monuments, which came on the back of
massive Black Lives Matter protests earlier this month and subsequent
efforts by some local governments to reform their police forces, were
sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in
police custody.
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Many of the statues, which pay homage to the rebel Confederacy from the
nation's Civil War era and are seen as tributes to those who perpetuated
slavery, have been targeted by demonstrating crowds in recent weeks.
U.S. Marshals have been told they should prepare to help protect
national monuments nationwide, the Washington Post reported, citing an
email from Marshals Assistant Director Andrew Smith.
About 400 D.C. National Guard members had been activated after a request
from the interior secretary, a National Guard statement said.
"They will support U.S. Park Police at key monuments to prevent any
defacing or destruction," the statement said.
It said none of the troops had been moved to the streets, but that they
were on standby at the National Guard Armory.
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![](../images/062520pics/news_I17.jpg)
The statue of U.S. President Andrew Jackson on his horse in the
center of Lafayette Park is silhouetted against the White House in
front of the Washington Monument (L) in Washington November 17,
2013. REUTERS/Jim Bourg
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A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the
activation was seen as a short-term move through the first week of
July that would give the Department of Justice enough time to call
on law enforcement personnel.
On Wednesday afternoon, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat,
activated the Wisconsin National Guard to protect state property in
Madison, the state capital after protesters toppled two statues,
including one of a Civil War colonel who fought for the Union, and
set a small fire there on Tuesday.
Late on Monday, protesters tried to topple a statue of Andrew
Jackson facing the White House.
Jackson served two terms in the White House, from 1829 to 1837,
espousing a populist political style that has sometimes been
compared with that of Trump.
Earlier this month, about 1,200 D.C. National Guard troops and 3,900
from other states were sent to the capital to back law enforcement
during demonstrations.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Alistair
Bell and Christopher Cushing)
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