Published 17:46 IST, June 16th 2020
US: Man shot during Albuquerque protest over removal of statue
A man in New Mexico's Albuquerque city was shot on June 15 after clashes between protesters and a group of heavily armed militia erupted.
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A man in New Mexico's Albuquerque city was shot on June 15 after clashes between protesters and a group of heavily armed militia erupted while the latter attempted to defend a statue from being toppled. According to the local police, the investigation is in the preliminary stages and the victim is reported to be in critical condition. Protesters were reportedly demanding the removal of a statue of the state's 16th-century governor, Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate, who is believed to be linked with slavery and colonialism. The statue was eventually removed by the authorities on Monday as bystanders cheered in joy.
Horrible scene in New Mexico as a group calling themselves the “New Mexico Civil Guard” shot a man in an apparent attempt to stop the removal of a statue in Albuquerque.
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) June 16, 2020
Police have now taken several members of the extremist group into custody.pic.twitter.com/vJQuRYXQbm
New Mexico's governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement on Twitter that read, "The heavily armed individuals who flaunted themselves at the protest, calling themselves a 'civil guard', were there for one reason: To menace protesters, to present an unsanctioned show of unregulated force. To menace the people of New Mexico with weaponry - with an implicit threat of violence - is on its face unacceptable; that violence did indeed occur is unspeakable."
My statement on the “militia” and violence in Albuquerque tonight: pic.twitter.com/BZISvyau3k
— Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) June 16, 2020
"We are receiving reports about vigilante groups possibly instigating this violence. If this is true will be holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including federal hate group designation and prosecution," Albuquerque city police chief Michael Geier said in a statement on Twitter. All men involved in the shooting were arrested by the police.
Statues being vandalized
Statues of historical figures are being defaced or destroyed across the United States since protests over the brutal killing of an African-American man George Floyd erupted in the country. Floyd was allegedly killed by a Caucasian police officer named Derek Chauvin on May 25 after the latter pinned him down to the ground and pressed his neck with his knee. Video footage of the incident went viral, where Floyd can be heard requesting officers to let him go as he can't breathe. The last words of Floyd became the slogan of nationwide protests against centuries of systematic racial abuse of Black people in the country.
(Image Credit: AP)
17:46 IST, June 16th 2020