Lafayette Square protesters removed for Trump photo op target former president and Bill Barr in lawsuit appeal

Racial justice protesters are seeking compensation from Trump administration officials over their forcible removal from Lafayette Square for a photo op in 2020, and civil rights groups representing them on Tuesday argued on their behalf before an appeals court judge.

The Black Lives Matter D.C. class action lawsuit brought by the ACLU of the District of Columbia was previously dismissed by a federal judge.

The plaintiffs are seeking compensation from federal officials who ordered or carried out the attack, including former Attorney General William Barr, Park Police Incident Commander Mark Adamchik, and the U.S. Park Police.

Trump after the protesters were cleared famously stood in front of St John's Episcopal Church across Lafayette Park, holding a Bible.

“What’s at stake in this appeal is a question testing our nation’s commitment to the rule of law: whether civil rights demonstrators, brutally attacked by federal officers without provocation across the street from the White House, can sue to vindicate their constitutional rights,” ACLU Legal Director Scott Michelman said in a statement.

The demonstrators allege they were attacked without warning by officers using tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades.

The protest occurred amid a wave of George Floyd demonstrations.

“On June 1, 2020, federal government officials launched a brutal attack on our clients and other peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park, in violation of the U.S. Constitution,” said Lee Crain, an attorney representing the plaintiffs.

“The government is now trying to block our clients from seeking redress for these constitutional violations. If they succeed, Lafayette Park will be transformed from one of the country’s most important venues for public expression into a forum where federal officials can violate the constitution with impunity.”

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