US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster, apologized on Thursday for the incident in Washington DC, during which, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was vandalized by protesters. The US has been seeing a surge in the number of protests after the killing of George Floyd, an Afro-American individual, who was killed by Derek Chauvin, a White Police officer in Minneapolis.
The protests have also witnessed mass looting across the nation.
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 & the awful violence & vandalism. We stand against prejudice & discrimination of any type. We will recover & be better.
— Ken Juster (@USAmbIndia) June 4, 2020
The envoy tweeted: “So sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Wash, DC. Please accept our sincere apologies”.
He also said that the US is strongly against all forms of discrimination and prejudice.
It was on Wednesday that the Gandhi statue situated outside the Embassy of India in Washington DC was sprayed upon and vandalized by the protesters who were up in arms against the killing.
Though this incident and that involving George Floyd does have any direct correlation, it was part of the larger protests that US President Donald Trump has threatened to crush ruthlessly.
As per information available, the Park Police have registered a complaint and are investigating the matter.
Large urban centres such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC have witnessed protests over the brutal killing that has exposed the deep schism between the various communities that are part of the US.