dismantled

WASHINGTON — Law enforcement officials Sunday removed a peace vigil that had stood outside the White House for more than four decades after President Trump ordered it to be taken down as part of the clearing of homeless encampments in the nation’s capital.

Philipos Melaku-Bello, a volunteer who has manned the vigil for years, told the Associated Press that the U.S. Park Police removed it early Sunday morning. He said officials justified the removal by mislabeling the memorial as a shelter.

“The difference between an encampment and a vigil is that an encampment is where homeless people live,” Melaku-Bello said. “As you can see, I don’t have a bed. I have signs and it is covered by the 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression.”

The White House confirmed the removal, telling the AP in a statement that the vigil was a “hazard to those visiting the White House and the surrounding areas.”

Taking down the vigil is the latest in a series of actions the Trump administration has ordered as part of its federal takeover of policing in the city, which began last month. The White House has defended the intervention as needed to fulfill Trump’s executive order on the “beautification” of D.C.

Melaku-Bello said he’s in touch with attorneys about what he sees as a civil rights violation. “They’re choosing to call a place that is not an encampment an encampment just to fit what is in Trump’s agenda of removing the encampments,” he said.

The vigil was started in 1981 by activist William Thomas to promote nuclear disarmament and an end to global conflicts. It is believed to be the longest continuous antiwar protest in U.S. history. When Thomas died in 2009, fellow protesters including Melaku-Bello manned the tiny tent and the banner — which read, “Live by the bomb, die by the bomb” — around the clock to avoid it being dismantled by authorities.

The small but persistent act of protest was brought to Trump’s attention during an event at the While House on Friday.

Brian Glenn, a correspondent for the far-right network Real America’s Voice, told Trump the blue tent was an “eyesore” for those who come to the White House.

“Just out front of the White House is a blue tent that originally was put there to be an anti-nuclear tent for nuclear arms,” Glenn said. “It’s kind of morphed into more of an anti-American, sometimes anti-Trump at many times.”

Trump, who said he was not aware of it, told his staff: “Take it down. Take it down today, right now.”

Melaku-Bello said that Glenn spread misinformation when he told the president that the tent had rats and “could be a national security risk” because people could hide weapons in there.

“No weapons were found,” he told AP. “He said that it was rat-infested. Not a single rat came out as they took down the cinder blocks.”

Monsivais and Amiri write for the Associated Press and reported from Washington and New York, respectively. AP writer Will Weissert in New York contributed to this report.

Aug. 9 (UPI) — North and South Korea have begun removing some loudspeakers that were used to broadcast propaganda across the demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel.

The South Korean military on Saturday reported North Korea‘s removal of some of the loudspeakers, but it’s unknown if all of them will be taken away, the BBC reported.

The South Korean military “detected North Korean troops dismantling propaganda loudspeakers in some parts along the front line,” its leaders said in a prepared statement on Saturday.

“It remains to be confirmed whether the devices have been removed across all regions,” the statement said, adding that the South Korean military will continue monitoring the situation.

The BBC’s report suggested removing some of the loudspeakers might be North Korea’s way of responding positively to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s recent election win.

Lee became president in June and had campaigned on a platform that included improving relations with North Korea.

South Korea stopped broadcasting its own propaganda over loudspeakers positioned at the 38th parallel after Lee took office and earlier this week dismantled its loudspeakers.

South Korea often broadcast content that included news and K-pop music, but those broadcasts ended in June, and its military began removing its loudspeakers on Monday.

North Korea’s loudspeakers often aired annoying sounds, including the howling of wild animals.

North Korea has not confirmed its troops removed some of the loudspeakers at the demilitarized zone separating the two nations, The Independent reported.

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un seeks to eliminate the influence of South Korean culture, including language and pop music, to help preserve his standing as the nation’s supreme leader, according to The Independent.

South Korea had ceased its broadcasts at the 38th parallel for several years, but former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration resumed the broadcasts in June 2024.

Those broadcasts ended after Lee became president.