A decades-long peace vigil outside the White House is dismantled after Trump’s order
Washington – On Sunday, law enforcement officials withdrew a peace vigil that had been held outside the White House for more than four decades after President Donald Trump ordered that he was withdrawn as part of the clearing of the homeless camps in the national capital.
Philiconos Melaku-Bello, a volunteer who held the vigil for years, told the Associated Press that the Park’s police withdrew him early on Sunday morning. He said officials justified the withdrawal by putting a refuge to the memorial.
“The difference between a camp and a vigil is that a camp is the place where the homeless live,” said Melaku-Bello. “As you can see, I don’t have a bed.” I have signs and it is covered by the right of the first amendment to freedom of expression and freedom of expression. ”
The White House confirmed the withdrawal, saying AP in a press release that the vigil was a “danger for those who visit the White House and the surrounding area”.
Withdrawal the day before is the last in a series of actions that the Trump administration ordered within the framework of its federal takeover of police services in the city, which began last month. The White House defended the intervention if necessary to carry out Trump’s decree on the “embellishment” of DC
Melaku-Bello said he was in contact with lawyers of what he considers a violation of civil rights. “They choose to call a place that is not a camp a camp just to adapt to what is in Trump’s agenda to remove the camps,” he said.
The day before was launched in 1981 by activist William Thomas to promote nuclear disarmament and the end of world conflicts. It is believed that this is the longest anti-war protest in American history. When Thomas died in 2009, other demonstrators like Melaku-Bello held the tiny tent and the banner, who said “live by the bomb, die by the bomb”, 24 hours a day to prevent him from being dismantled by the authorities.
The act of small but persistent protest was brought to the attention of Trump during an event in the White House on Friday.
Brian Glenn, correspondent for the Real America’s Voice conservative network, told Trump that the blue tent was a “horror” for those who come to the White House.
“Right in front of the White House is a blue tent which was originally bet to be an anti-nuclear tent for nuclear arms,” said Glenn. “It is sort of transformed into more than an anti-American, sometimes anti-Trump several times.”
Trump, who said he was not aware of it, said to his staff: “Remove it. Remove it today.”
Melaku-Bello said Glenn had spread a disinformation when he told the president that the tent had rats and “could be a risk of national security” because people could hide weapons in there.
“No weapon has been found,” he told AP. “He said it was infested with rat. Not a single rat came out by cutting off the concrete blocks.”
___
Amiri reported in New York. Weissert in New York contributed to this report.
