The Constitution became the latest historic item to be targeted by climate protesters on Wednesday after two protesters dumped red powder on the document’s case.
The National Archives said the protesters were immediately detained after the incident, which occurred around 2:30 p.m., and they are recommending the culprits be prosecuted to the “fullest extent of the law.”
“The National Archives Rotunda is the sanctuary for our nation’s founding documents,” Colleen Shogan, archivist of the United States, said in a statement. “The [documents] are here for all Americans to view and understand the principles of our nation. We take such vandalism very seriously.”
Other items in the National Archives rotunda include the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence, but neither of the cases protecting those documents was affected.
The rotunda will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday for cleaning, but no damage has been done to the Constitution itself. The rest of the archives building that is accessible to the public will be open on Thursday.
The protesters were part of the climate group Declare Emergency, which claims they are trying to stop the world from ending due to climate change.
“We don’t want the end of civilization but that’s the path we’re currently on,” the group posted to X in response to the arrests. “Declare Emergency’s nonviolent civil disobedience is love in action everyday, not just on Valentine’s Day.”
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Climate protesters with various organizations have attacked multiple historic artworks and documents over the past few years, including targeting an Edgar Degas statue at the National Museum of Art last year.
The protesters responsible for the Valentine’s Day vandalism will now face federal charges.
