Covington student Nicholas Sandmann urges rioters to spare CNN Center
Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann, who rocketed to national fame last year after he was involved in a nonviolent altercation at the Lincoln Memorial with Native American activists, said he was disappointed to see rioters attacking the CNN Center in Atlanta.
“I don’t want the CNN Headquarters to burn down because we live in America, and burning building doesn’t solve problems,” Sandmann tweeted late Friday evening. “If you want to burn something, move to Iran.”
Rioters stormed CNN headquarters Friday as part of a wave of violent protests stemming from the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25.
Sandmann made headlines in Jan. 2019 after he and fellow classmates faced off with Native American activists at the Lincoln Memorial. Early viral video appeared to show Sandmann and classmates taunting and staring down the activists, while longer video of the event ultimately proved they were the ones who had been accosted.
Sandmann later sued CNN for defamation over its coverage of the incident. CNN settled with Sandmann in Jan. 2020 for an undisclosed amount.
A similar suit against the Washington Post is still pending.
