‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ BANNER REMOVED FROM EMBASSY
SEOUL/WASHINGTON A large “Black Lives Matter” banner draped on the outside of the U.S. embassy in Seoul was removed on Monday after President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure about it, two people familiar with the matter said.
The banner was hung on the front of the mission building on Saturday as the embassy tweeted a message in support of the anti-racism campaign across the United States and worldwide in response to the killing last month of George Floyd, an African-american, in Minneapolis police custody.
Trump, who has responded to street protests by declaring himself a “law and order” president, was unhappy about the banner when he learned about it, the two sources said on condition of anonymity. The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The banner was seen as a rare show of open support for the Black Lives Matter movement by a Trump appointee. U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris had ordered that it be draped on the embassy.