The National Archives' rotunda and galleries were temporarily closed on Wednesday afternoon following an incident where two protesters dumped red powder on the encasement protecting the U.S. Constitution.
At approximately 2:30 p.m., two individuals poured red powder on themselves and the encased Constitution inside the Archives' rotunda. The action prompted a response from the D.C. police, who subsequently arrested the protesters for destruction of federal property. Fortunately, there was no damage reported to the Constitution.
A video posted on social media captured the moment, showing the two men covered in red powder standing in front of the Constitution. One of them can be heard saying, "We all deserve clean air, water, food, and a livable climate."
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This incident comes amidst a trend of climate activists targeting works of art and landmarks to draw attention to environmental issues. Just the day before, two climate activists affixed images of recent flood damage in the Tuscany region onto the protective glass of Botticelli’s masterpiece “The Birth of Venus” at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.
In response to the vandalism, the National Archives released a statement condemning the act and emphasizing the sanctity of the documents housed in the rotunda.
"The National Archives Rotunda is the sanctuary for our nation's founding documents. 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," said Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States.
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The rotunda is home to not only the Constitution but also the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. The National Archives announced that the rotunda will be closed for cleanup on Thursday, while the rest of the museum will open at its scheduled time.
