The secretary of the U.S. Army was forced to come out and remind soldiers that even if they’re called up supplement police forces in cities around the U.S. that they still must abide by their oath to uphold the Constitution.

In a Twitter statement Thursday, Ryan McCarthy posted a video of himself speaking to troops saying that peaceful protests are fine and that the soldiers are there to “protect that ideal.”

“Every Soldier and Department of the Army Civilian swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution. That includes the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances,” he said in the tweet.

Secretary of the Army reminds soldiers they swore an oath to uphold the Constitution — including the right of the people to peacefully assemble – Alternet.org