David Matthews | New York Daily News
The Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., was evacuated and closed on Wednesday after the case that displays the Constitution was vandalized with red powder.
Around 2:30 p.m., two apparent climate protesters dumped the powder on themselves and the case that protects the historic document, which was not damaged in the incident.
“We are determined to foment a rebellion,” one of the men said. “We all deserve clean air, water, food and a livable climate.”
The two were then taken away from the scene within minutes, and the building is expected to be open on Thursday.
“The National Archives Rotunda is the sanctuary for our nation’s founding documents,” Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States, said in a statement. “They are here for all Americans to view and understand the principles of our nation. We take such vandalism very seriously, and we will insist that the perpetrators be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
High-profile vandalism has become a common tactic by climate activists. In October 2022, protesters threw tomato soup at Van Gogh’s beloved “Sunflowers” at The National Gallery in London. Just last month, soup was similarly hurled on the “Mona Lisa” at the Louvre. And yesterday, Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” was vandalized at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.
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