Unidentified vandals have sprayed orange paint over a bust of general Charles de Gaulle in Hautmont, painting the word "slaver" on it. The incident comes just a few days before the 80th anniversary of de Gaulle's historic call for resistance against the Nazi invasion.
"At a time when we must remember that General de Gaulle kept the Resistance flame alive, the vandalising of this statue in Hautmont is scandalous", head of the regional council for northern France and ex-minister of Health Xavier Bertrand stated.
Hautmont (59 ) : la statue du Général de Gaulle vandalisée, taguée « esclavagiste ». via f_desouche https://t.co/Uw1FKL2W53
— Sergent Augagneur (@SgtAugagneur) June 16, 2020
Following the violent arrest and death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis, mass rallies hit the United States, as people began protesting against police brutality and racism.
Some protesters have even gone so far as to vandalise numerous statues of prominent historical figures, while others petitioned authorities, forcing them to dismount "racist" monuments. Among the targeted statues are those to Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, and General Robert E. Lee
One crowd even toppled and vandalised statues in the UK, also forcing London to cover a Winston Churchill monument in Parliament Square.
