U.S. Embassy removes Black Lives Matter banner

Diplomacy

Published: 16 Jun. 2020, 18:16

U.S. Embassy removes Black Lives Matter banner

A banner commemorating the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War hangs from the wall of the U.S. Embassy in central Seoul on Tuesday, after a banner with the anti-racism slogan "Black Lives Matter" was taken down. [WOO SANG-JO]

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said Tuesday that the Black Lives Matter banner hung on the facade of its building earlier this week was removed to avoid "misperception," amid reports the removal came after President Donald Trump voiced displeasure.

On Saturday, the embassy put up the banner, a symbol of an anti-racism movement in the United States and beyond sparked by the police killing last month of an unarmed African-American, George Floyd, but it disappeared Monday.

"The ambassador's intent was not to support or encourage donations to any specific organization. To avoid the misperception that American taxpayer dollars were spent to benefit such organizations, he directed that the banner be removed," an embassy spokesperson said in a message sent to Yonhap News Agency. "This in no way lessens the principles and ideals expressed by raising the banner, and the embassy will look for other ways to convey fundamental American values in these times of difficulty at home."

The official stressed that Ambassador Harry Harris's decision to hang the banner was aimed at communicating a "message of solidarity" with Americans concerned with racism and highlighting the "American values of racial equality, freedom of speech and the right to peacefully protest."

Trump has drawn criticism for his intent to crack down on rallies against racism and police violence, which triggered a divisive debate within his administration over whether to use active-duty forces for law enforcement against protesters.

The protests have apparently been weighing heavily on the American president, who is already saddled with a raft of challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, as he gears up for the November presidential election.

After hanging the banner, the U.S. Embassy tweeted that it was a protest against police brutality, and that it showed its will to move toward a more tolerant and just society.

Yonhap