Published 12:46 IST, June 13th 2020
Elizabeth Warren condemns 'racist fanatics', opposes 'honouring' confederate leaders
US Senator and former Democratic candidate in presidential elections, Elizabeth Warren has lashed out on “racist fanatics” who have tried to glorify slavery.
The US Senator and former Democratic candidate in 2020 presidential elections, Elizabeth Warren has lashed out on “racist fanatics” who have tried to glorify slavery and white supremacy. Targetting US President Donald Trump’s opposition to change names of US military bases named after confederate leaders, Warren said that “Trump panders to racists” and “he’s all in” because he thinks it “helps him politically”.
Warren, therefore, has called for “active steps” to be taken to dismantle systematic racism in the country. She has also said that the US has a “legacy of racism” and urged the eradication of white supremacy from every level of government. Warren wants to declare the project of ‘honouring the traitors who killed to preserve slavery’ as “over”. Because she elaborates, that every time the confederate flag his hoisted in one of the US military bases, it sends a message that “white supremacy is the core value of American people”.
In the short video posted by Warren on Twitter on June 13, she talks about the different US army bases that have been named after confederate leaders and how one of them was a “slave owner” and “killed US soldiers”. From Fort Bragg which is named after Braxton Bragg to Fort Hood which is named after John Hood, the US Senator listed all these confederate leaders who were “deeply racist” and also noted their failures and actions before the Civil War. Warren acknowledged that the decisions to name the US Army bases after these leaders were not made immediately after the war but happened during the early 20th century to “downplay” their treason. According to her, the same effort still “continues”.
Elizabeth Warren said, “The decision to name military bases after confederate generals didn’t occur right after the Civil War. It happened much later, as part of a deliberate effort in the early 20th century to try to make confederate leaders into heroes and to downplay their treason and their commitment to slavery. To this day, that effort continues”.
“As a nation, we have some serious soul-searching to do. The racist violence that killed George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, is rooted in a legacy of racism, discrimination, oppression, and the tributes to white supremacy on our military installations have helped keep it alive”, she added.
Trump 'will not even consider' renaming of US bases
US President Donald Trump has said that his administration “will not even consider” changing the names of nearly one dozen US military bases that are established on the names of Confederate military commanders. Trump’s declaration of opposing any move that ‘tampers’ with the history of America came just after US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Defense Secretary Mark Esper were reported to be open for a “bipartisan conversation” about renaming the major bases and installations that are named after Confederate military commanders.
Updated 12:46 IST, June 13th 2020