The chaotic protests rocking Washington DC have caught the attention of Poland, after protesters targeted a statue of an Eastern European military hero and statesman.
The US capital fell victim to an orgy of destruction on Sunday, after thousands of demonstrators descended on the city, sparked by the police killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd.
Although many protesters were peaceful, fires broke out and stores were looted as law enforcement and military police attempted to enforce the city’s 11pm curfew.
One act of vandalism has gone largely overlooked – at least until now. Photographs show that a statue near the white house of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish military leader and statesman, was covered in graffiti by protesters. Messages spray-painted onto the monument included “BLM” (Black Lives Matter), as well as “F**k Trump.”
The vandalism prompted Polish Ambassador to the US Piotr Wilczek to issue a diplomatic protest of his own.
“I am disgusted and appalled by the acts of vandalism committed against the statue of Thaddeus Kosciuszko in DC, a hero who fought for the independence of both the US and Poland,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that he hoped the National Park Service, as well as the White House, would take action to remedy the apparent affront to Poland’s honor.
Although many shared the ambassador’s disappointment, others argued that the US government has bigger fish to fry at the moment. Several commenters also noted that the protesters likely had no idea who Kosciuszko was or what he represented. Ironically, he was a staunch abolitionist – which would theoretically make him a hero for anti-racist activists.
Sunday’s protests became so intense that US President Donald Trump was reportedly whisked away into an underground bunker for his own safety. More than 50 Secret Service officers are also said to have been injured while guarding the White House from protesters, and numerous fires sprung up around the National Mall.
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