Judge says US govt must tell ‘full history’, orders reinstatement of slavery references on national monuments

WASHINGTON, June 13 — A federal judge has ordered the US government to reverse changes made to monuments, memorials and plaques addressing slavery, racism and discrimination in national parks and public spaces, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

The government’s actions were aimed at rewriting the nation’s history, wrote US District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston. Her interim injunction is directed at the National Park Service, which is responsible for public monuments. A final ruling on the matter is still pending.

US President Donald Trump had instructed his Department of the Interior in March last year to review all memorials, plaques, statues and similar items to determine whether they cast the history of the United States in a negative light.

Trump cited a widespread attempt to rewrite the country’s history as racist and oppressive as the reason for the move. Where this was happening, he argued, exhibitions, monuments or inscriptions would have to be altered or removed.

As a result, commemorative plaques addressing slavery disappeared across the country — including at George Washington’s former home in Philadelphia. Following a lawsuit by the city, the plaques were reinstalled. References to climate change — which Trump does not regard as a threat — were also removed in many places.

Kelley stated that the US must tell the full history of its country, particularly on the 250th anniversary of its independence. She said this concerns undisputed facts that the US government is attempting to downplay. The lawsuit was brought by a number of organisations from the fields of history, nature conservation and science.

The judge ordered that all monuments removed under the executive order be reinstated and any alterations reversed. She gave the government 21 days to do so — that is, until a few days before Independence Day on July 4. — Bernama-dpa