The statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC has been defaced during one of the protests against the killing of African-American George Floyd by a white cop in Minneapolis.
A probe into the matter has been launched by the United States Park Police. The desecration of Gandhi’s statue comes after a series of destruction caused by the ongoing protests in the US, throwing the country into chaos.
The US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster, condemning the incident said that he is “appalled” by the “awful violence and vandalism”.
“So sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Wash, DC. Please accept our sincere apologies. Appalled as well by the horrific death of George Floyd & awful violence & vandalism. We stand against prejudice & discrimination of ant type. We will recover & be better (SIC),” Juster wrote in his tweet.
The murder of Floyd has triggered violent protests across the United States, where thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets chanting “I can’t breathe” (Floyd’s last words as officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, choking him to death) and set public properties afire, seeking justice of the deceased and an end to the persistent racism in the US.
Dozens of protesters are left injured by the end of every day since cops have resorted to shelling of tear gas, shooting rubber bullets and pepper balls, etc. US President Donald Trump had also threatened to deploy the military on the streets to quash the protests in the country’s capital.
Also Read- Apple tracks iPhones stolen from its stores during US protests
