Two climate activists were arrested on Wednesday after they poured a pink powder on a case holding the U.S. Constitution.
The two protesters were caught on camera in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, claiming their act was to raise awareness for climate change.
In a video posted on X, one of the activists can be heard saying:
“This country is founded on the conditions that all men are created equally.”
“We are calling for all people to have all these rights, not just wealthy white men.”
“We all deserve clean air, water, food, and a livable climate.”
Capitol Police arrested the two individuals.
Watch
Just now: the Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington DC was evacuated after two climate activists dumped red powder on themselves and the case holding the United States Constitution.
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) February 14, 2024
Both were arrested in minutes. pic.twitter.com/opeTJcs7GH
The museum was forced to close at 3:00 p.m. due to the incident.
The U.S. Constitution is “sealed in the most scientifically advanced housing that preservation technology can provide,” the National Archives said.
The Constitution does not appear to have been damaged during the incident.
Dr. Colleen Shogan, the archivist of the United States, said in a press release that the National Archives “will insist that the perpetrators be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
"Incident at National Archives Rotunda Closes Galleries to Public
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) February 14, 2024
… two individuals dumped red powder on the encasement protecting the U.S. Constitution at approximately 2:30 pm. They were immediately detained by security personnel. Officials are investigating the incident." pic.twitter.com/3wmwkVJmR4
Other similar incidents have also occurred recently.
The Free Beacon noted:
Climate protesters have, in recent years, taken to defacing famous artifacts in their demonstrations.
On Tuesday, two activists from Last Generation, a European climate group, pasted images of a natural disaster onto Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” in the museum that houses it in Florence, Italy.
Late last month, two activists from a food sustainability group in France threw soup on Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” in Paris’s Louvre Museum. Those paintings are also protected by glass cases.
In 2022, two protestors threw tomato soup at Van Gogh while gluing themselves to the floor of the National Gallery in London.
READ: Global Elites Feast on Gourmet Burgers at UN Climate Summit While Telling World to Reduce Meat
