Demonstrators blocked the access road to the Mount Rushmore Memorial on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s speech on the eve of Independence Day. There were several arrests. The protesters accused the Trump administration of not doing enough for Native Americans. Some called for the Mount Rushmore presidential monument to be taken down.
Completed in 1941, the memorial features the faces of former US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Washington and Jefferson are known to have had slaves during their lifetime. The monument has also been criticized for being in a country that is sacred to parts of the indigenous population.
Trump: “Relenting campaign”
“I am dispatching state security forces to protect our monuments, arrest rioters, and prosecute perpetrators according to the full breadth of the law. People who damage or deface state statues or monuments will face a minimum of 10 years in prison,” Trump said. Critics accuse Trump of turning his Independence Day speech into a campaign event. Trump said in his speech: “Our nation is witnessing a relentless campaign aimed at erasing our history, defaming our heroes, erasing our values and indoctrinating our children.”
As part of nationwide protests against racism, police violence and discrimination, demonstrators had called for the removal of monuments associated with the oppression of minorities. For example, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a statue of a Spanish conquistador who led violence against the indigenous people was dismantled.
Trump wants ‘National Garden of American Heroes’
In an ordinance put into effect by Trump announced the intention to establish a so-called National Garden of American Heroes, in which statues of important figures in US history would be erected, including Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Martin Luther King.
The ordinance states that statues are “silent teachers” made of stone and metal. It preserves the memory of American history. Destroying a monument means desecrating the common heritage. “In recent weeks, amid protests across America, many monuments have been vandalized or vandalized. Some local governments have responded by tearing down their monuments,” it said.