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U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's red star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame was smashed into pieces Wednesday by a man who dressed up as a construction worker.
Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been smashed to pieces with a sledgehammer. Photo: BBC
The incident happened at around 5:45 am. According to cellphone videos shot by witness and released on Youtube, a man wearing a bright-orange construction vest set up construction cones and barriers around Trump' s star before smashing it into pieces with a sledgehammer and a pickax.
"When people are unhappy with one of our honourees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalize a California state landmark," Leron Gubler, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said in a statement criticizing the vandalism.
"Our democracy is based on respect for the law. People can make a difference by voting and not destroying public property," Gubler added.
The iconic gold inlaid red star was covered with cement fillings before it is repaired which process would take several days according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
The former Apprentice presenter received the star in 2007.
But it's not the first time it's been vandalised.
It has previously been surrounded by a miniature wall in protest of his plan to build a wallbetween the US and Mexico.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame Star awarded to Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump is shown surrounded by a barb-wire wall in a piece by street artist Plastic Jesus in Hollywood. Photo: Reuters
This incident was under investigation by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), but a man identified as Jamie Otis claimed responsibly for it earlier.
He told the Deadline Hollywood website that he intended to destroy the star and to auction the pieces off to raise money for the 11 women accusing Trump of groping them, which action the GOP presidential candidate has denied repeatedly.
According to the report on BBC, some reporters claim the man, who was named asJamie Otis,said he wanted to auction the star off, to raise funds for the women who have accused Mr Trump of sexually assaulting them.
However, the US presidential candidate denies all the allegations against him.
Owner of the destroyed star, Trump, the US presidential candidate
It is not the first time that Trump' s star has been vandalized since he announced the presidential bid. It was spray-painted with a swastika and a "mute" icon before, and a miniature border wall was also built in a separated incident.
But it's not the first time it's been vandalised. Photo:BBC
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is in charge of the sidewalk.They told the press:"Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame."Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk."The chamber consider hundreds of applications every year.
LAPD estimated that the latest vandalization would cost about 2, 500 U.S. dollars to repair the star. The vandalism charge can lead to a three-year maximum jail time and a minimum 10,000 U.S. dollars fine, according to California law.
Trump yet responded to the destruction of his iconic star, which was dedicated to him in 2007 for his contributions in NBC's reality TV show "The Apprentice."
(APD)
