Trump signs executive order to protect monuments from vandalism

Washington, June 27
US President Donald Trump has said on social media that he has signed an executive order to protect the country's monuments.

"I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence," Trump tweeted on Friday, Xinhua reported.

"Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!" the president said on Twitter.

The order enforces laws prohibiting the desecration of public monuments, the vandalism of government property, and recent acts of violence, withholds federal support tied to public spaces from state and local governments that have failed to protect public monuments, and withdraws federal grants for jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies that fail to stop their desecration, said a local media report.

It also provides assistance for protecting federal statues, according to the report.

Also on Friday, Attorney General Bill Barr directed the creation of a task force to counter anti-government extremists, specifically naming those who support the far-right "boogaloo" movement and left-wing radicals who identify as Antifa.

Trump said on Tuesday he would sign such an executive order, one night after police thwarted demonstrators' attempts to tear down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson near the White House.

Four hundred National Guard troops have been activated in Washington DC to guard monuments and infrastructure and Trump has personally instructed Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to restore the only