Washington, Feb 2: The White House on Monday condemned the desecration of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a city in California.
"We certainly would have concern about the desecration of monuments of Gandhi," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.
She was responding to a question on the desecration of the six-foot-tall, 650-pound (294 kg) bronze statue of Gandhi in the Central Park of the city of Davis in northern California. It was broken and ripped from the base by unknown miscreants recently.
"Certainly we would condemn that desecration and watch it closely," Psaki said.
The city of Davis, in a statement, condemned the act of vandalism.
"We do not support any actions that include the destruction of property. We understand that our community reflects a diversity of views and values, but we expect that everyone will extend respect to each other and to shared spaces.
"We are committed to creating a city that is inclusive and lives up to our principles. We work diligently to ensure the physical and psychological safety of every resident. Acts of destruction are violent and shatter this safety," it said.
The city said it sympathises with those who are grieving the destruction of the statue and promised a thorough investigation and full accountability for those who committed this crime.
"We sympathise with those who have sincerely voiced their opposition to the statue and who feel unheard. But we reiterate our belief that the solution to solving such differences is never in violent acts but through compromise and dialogue. It is our sincere desire that our community moves forward with peaceful and positive discourse and reconciliation," the city said in its statement.
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