Protesters did not even spare statue of Gandhi: Trump
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that the protesters, who went violent in the aftermath of the death of African-American George Floyd, did not spare even the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Washington DC, describing the demonstrators as a "bunch of thugs".
Floyd died in Minneapolis on May 25 after white police officer Derek Chauvin handcuffed and pinned him to the ground, and knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes while the 46-year-old from Houston gasped for breath.
The footage, which went viral, showed Floyd pleading with the officer, saying he can't breathe. His death sparked nationwide violent protests with some protesters resorting to vandalism, looting and rioting across the country, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
"You know, they started ripping down Abraham Lincoln. When they hit Lincoln, I said wait a minute. This is the man and you can do - then they hit George Washington, Thomas Jefferson. They had everybody, Trump said at a well-attended election rally in Minnesota, a State that he lost by a little over 44,000 votes in 2016, on Friday.
He also mentioned about the statue of Gandhi in Washington DC that was vandalised by unknown miscreants at the peak of the nationwide protests.
"They even had Gandhi. All Gandhi wanted was one thing, peace. Right? We have peace. Rip down his statue. We don't like him. I don't think they have any idea what they're doing," Trump said.
"I think they're just a bunch of thugs, okay, you want to know the truth. I think they're a bunch of thugs," he said.
The president told his cheering audience that he had signed an executive order that would put such miscreants in jail for 10 years.
Now, nobody even talks about taking statues down, he said.
The vandalised statue was restored later by the Embassy of India here, with the help of National Park Police and the State Department.
"We had a period of time when they were ripping down all of the statues and monuments, and I said to my people four months ago, I said this is crazy. These people--and they don't even know," Trump said.
Now that he has signed an executive order, Trump said that nobody has showed up in four months to take down a statue.
"Because you know why? They look and they say I want to take on that statue. I'm going to take down that statue. That statue's coming down. And then somebody says, you know, it's 10 years in jail. They go that's too much. I'm getting out of here. It's true," he said amidst laughter.
"Ten years is not acceptable. Ten years is a lot to rip down a statue, have a little fun, especially when they have no idea what they're ripping down. But we have an idea what they're ripping down. They're ripping down, in many cases, greatness. They're ripping down our past. They're ripping down our history," he said.
"That's where these guys begin. The take away your history. You look at the Middle East. You look all over. Look what ISIS did. Look what all of them do. They go down and they go to museums and they break everything and they rip everything. They want to take away your past. They are not taking away the past of the United States of America. Not as long as I'm here," Trump said.
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Middle East crisis: Indian airlines cancel 350 flights on Sunday
New Delhi/ Mumbai (PTI): Indian airlines cancelled 350 international flights on Sunday as operational disruptions continued for the second day due to the escalating Middle East conflict.
With airspace closures in the Middle East and security concerns, Air India and IndiGo have also cancelled their flights that use these airspaces.
"In view of airspace restrictions arising from geopolitical developments in the Middle East, a total of 350 flights operated by Indian domestic carriers have been cancelled on 01.03.2026," the civil aviation ministry said in a post on X at 1634 hours on Sunday.
At 0125 hours, the ministry in an X post said that 444 international flights were expected to be cancelled on Sunday due to airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East.
On February 28, the ministry said 410 flights of domestic carriers were cancelled.
Air India and SpiceJet shared details about the number of flights cancelled through X posts.
Air India said Sunday morning it had cancelled a total of 22 international flights, besides 28 it had announced on February 28 due to the Middle East crisis.
According to SpiceJet, 33 flights to and from the UAE have been cancelled.
Air India Express extended the suspension of flights to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates until 2359 hours IST on March 2.
IndiGo said the temporary suspension of select international flights that use Middle East airspace, has been extended until 2359 hours IST on March 2.
All airlines provided the updates through posts on X while Air India Express issued a statement.
Meanwhile, the ministry also said it was closely coordinating with airlines, airport operators and other stakeholders to proactively monitor the situation and facilitate necessary passenger support.
Airlines are also offering waivers for rescheduling and cancellation charges.
Air India and Air India Express said that for bookings made on or before February 28 with travel originally planned up to March 5, passengers can reschedule flights at no additional charge or request a full refund.
This is for travel to and from the Middle East, which has been impacted due to the ongoing situation.
At least 225 flights were cancelled at Delhi and Mumbai airports on Sunday. These include departures and arrivals.
