Two protesters dumped red powder on the encasement protecting the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives, prompting the closure of its rotunda and galleries Wednesday afternoon.
Around 2:30 p.m., two men poured red powder on themselves and the encased Constitution in the Archives’ rotunda. D.C. police responded to the scene where they arrested them for destruction of federal property.
There was no damage to the Constitution.
In a video posted on X , two men covered in the red powder are standing in front of the Constitution, one of them saying, “We all deserve clean air, water, food and a livable climate.”
Climate protesters have recently targeted works of art and other landmarks to draw attention to their cause. On Tuesday, two climate activists attached images of recent flood damage in the Tuscany region on the protective glass of Botticelli’s masterpiece “The Birth of Venus” hanging at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.