Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, June 24, 2020) – Hundreds of  DC National Guard are being mobilized to protect monuments around the city.  The move comes as protesters continue to take aim at confederate statues and monuments across the country.

Reports indicate Interior Secretary David Bernhardt made the request earlier this week.  Protesters have clashed with police all week across from the White House in Lafayette Park, which is the site of the Andrew Jackson.  Demonstrators tried to topple that statue Monday night but they were pushed back by police.  The statue was defaced with the phrase “killer scum.”

Berhardt said after he visited Lafayette Square and witnessed the destruction, he knew action was necessary.  “The country will not bow to anarchists and that law and order will prevail and justice will be served.”

President Trump has warned that anyone caught vandalizing monuments or any federal property would be subject to arrest and face up to 10 years in prison under federal law.

Protesters have said they will not be deterred by threats of arrests as they seek to take down what they have called symbols of racism across the U.S.