The White House has condemned the act of vandalism of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a city in California. “We certainly have concerns about the desecration of monuments of Gandhi,” PTI quoted White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki saying while addressing her daily news conference on Monday. 

“Certainly we would condemn that desecration and watch it closely,” Psaki said. 

Her comments came in response to questions about the desecration of a six-foot-tall, 294 kg bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Central Park of the city of Davis in northern California, which was found broken and ripped from the base by unknown miscreants recently. 

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The city of Davis also condemned the vandalism in a statement. 

“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,” the statement said. 

“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 further stated that it sympathises with those grieving the destruction of the statue and promised to launch an investigation into the matter to hold those who committed the crime fully accountable. 

“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,” it said.