The website Mashable published a video Wednesday detailing how to "hypothetically take down a racist statue” as the nation continues to see the dismantling of statues and monuments of controversial historical figures.
“A lot of our historical figures, regardless of their legacy, were pretty damn racists,” Mashable reporter Morgan Sung said. “That’s why, in addition to joining protests, people are also calling for the removal of statues of slave owners and other racist figures.”
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“Obviously, we're not telling you to commit any crimes, and we also can’t tell you to deface any property, but we thought it would be interesting to look at a purely hypothetically way to safely remove a statue,” Sung said before explaining tips from an archaeologist who claims to be an expert in the field.
Tips included things such as “use chains, not rope,” listen to upbeat music, wear gloves and “get the f--k out of the way.”
WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE:
Popular Mechanics magazine was widely criticized last week after publishing a guide on how to remove unwanted statues without getting hurt in the process. The piece, “How to Topple a Statue Using Science,” promised readers the knowledge to “bring that sucker down without anyone getting hurt.”
Both the Popular Mechanics and Mashable pieces came as protesters across the United States have removed statues and monuments honoring Confederate soldiers and slave owners as the nation continues to heal from the death of George Floyd in police custody.
The initial statues under fire were those of Confederate soldiers and generals largely in the South, but the anger has spread to monuments beyond that historical period. President Trump has railed against the “oppressive left-wing ideology” and criticized the calls to remove statues of and monuments to controversial historical figures.
"The radical left hates our history, hates our values,” Trump said on Tuesday. “This is not the behavior of a peaceful movement. It is the behavior of a totalitarian movement.”
Trump added: “If you give power to people that topple monuments… then nothing is safe.”
Trump on Monday already vowed to sign an executive order to protect public statues and monuments from being damaged or destroyed, and on Tuesday morning he said anyone caught vandalizing monuments or any other federal property can be subject to arrest and face up to 10 years in prison.
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The president’s comment followed an attempt to take down a statue of Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square near the White House Monday night, a second incident targeting the nearby St. John’s Church, and prior vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial.
On Thursday, demonstrators in Portland, Ore., toppled a statue of President George Washington. Friday, protesters in San Francisco defaced and toppled the statue of former President Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union Army during the Civil War.
Fox News’ Andrew O’Reilly and Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.
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