An elderly veteran protested the Trump administration's mass layoffs within the Department of Veterans Affairs by chaining himself to a signpost outside the White House in a now viral video.
Richard Hobcraft Allan III, an 80-year-old veteran, chained himself to a sign near the White House to protest Trump and Musk’s massive cuts to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. pic.twitter.com/Zaeo79fR6Q
— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) March 12, 2025
Richard Hobcraft Allan III, 80, chained himself to a metal post outside the White House on Monday. Securing his arms was a pipe that read "King Trump and Pres Musk are killing veterans."
"Veterans are not going to stand for this anymore. We are marshalling all over the country. On the 14th of this month, at noon, we're marshalling and marching all over the country to say one simple thing: Veterans will not stand for this any longer!" Allan declared.
Allan, a resident of Charlottesville, Virginia, advertised his demonstration as a smaller version of a larger one involving veterans across the nation set to be held later this week.
"We believe that an unelected leader is killing our fellow veterans, and something must be done. All over our country, people are standing up, making noise in the streets, and stating that we cannot go on as usual," he said.
According to a memo addressed to the Department of Veterans Affairs' human resources team from the Trump administration, the department is instructed to conduct mass layoffs of civil servants as early as June with the goal of removing over 80,000 workers from the agency.
Top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee Patty Murray commented on these job cuts earlier this month, stating that they were indicative of a "full-scale, no-holds-barred assault on veterans."
Allan stated that he was prepared to be arrested and would comply with arrest proudly in defense of his fellow veterans, but following a quick conversation with a Metropolitan Police Officer, law enforcement allowed him to remain at the signpost to carry out his demonstration.
"I know that many of my fellow Americans and fellow veterans wake up in the morning and say, 'Something is terribly wrong,' up at the level of our so-called Commander in Chief," he continued. "We are sworn to defend our country against domestic enemies. Domestic enemies are breaking our government."
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