Trump threatens protesters who threw red paint on George Washington statue with 10-year prison sentence

'They will be prosecuted and face 10 years in Prison based on the Monuments and Statues Act. Turn yourselves in now!'

Donald Trump threatened the people suspected of throwing paint on a George Washington statue in New York with “10 years in prison” in a tweet, taking his feud with activists toppling monuments a step further.

“We are tracking down the two Anarchists who threw paint on the magnificent George Washington Statue in Manhattan”, the president claimed, adding: “We have them on tape.”

“They will be prosecuted and face 10 years in Prison based on the Monuments and Statues Act,” he wrote. “Turn yourselves in now!”

A statue of former US President George Washington is covered in red paint after being vandalised in Washington Square Park in New York (EPA)

Anti-racist demonstrations across the country — sparked by the police-involved killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man — have led to protesters toppling and defacing monuments in recent weeks.

The president has responded by saying he authorised federal law enforcement to “arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such federal property” earlier this month. However, no such authorisation is required, as multiple news outlets have reported, making the president's claims dubious.

Still, Mr Trump has continued posting threats to protesters online while spreading images of demonstrators accused of vandalizing federal property during the weekend in a series of tweets.

The debate has intensified over monuments and statues of historic US figures with controversial legacies surrounding slavery and racist policies, with protesters having toppled mainly statues of Confederate leaders.

Mr Trump claimed just days ago that “the vandalism has completely stopped” after “imposing a very powerful 10 year prison sentence” on those charged with defacing monuments.

He also claimed “many people” were being arrested “all over our country” for vandalizing statues on federal lands.

In response to those tweets, Walter Shaub, former director of the Office of Government Ethics, wrote to the president in a tweet of his own: “Are your followers dumb enough to think a president can set criminal penalties or do they just play along with this nonsense to keep pretending the emperor has clothes?”