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DC Protesters Pull Down, Burn Statue of Confederate General

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - Protesters toppled the only statue of a Confederate
   general in the nation's capital and set it on fire on Juneteenth, the
   day marking the end of slavery in the United States, amid continuing
   anti-racism demonstrations following the killing of George Floyd in
   Minneapolis.

   Cheering demonstrators jumped up and down as the 3.4-meter statue of
   Albert Pike - wrapped with chains - wobbled on its high granite
   pedestal before falling backward, landing in a pile of dust. Protesters
   then set a bonfire and stood around it in a circle as the statue
   burned, chanting, "No justice, no peace!" and "No racist police!"

   Eyewitness accounts and videos posted on social media indicated that
   police were on the scene but didn't intervene. President Donald Trump
   quickly tweeted about the toppling, calling out D.C. Mayor Muriel
   Bowser and writing: "The DC police are not doing their job as they
   watched a statue be ripped down and burn. These people should be
   immediately arrested. A disgrace to our Country!"

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