The demonstrators were taken into custody right away following the event, which happened at 2:30 p.m., according to the National Archives, who further propose that those responsible be held accountable to the “fullest extent of the law.”
US Archivist Colleen Shogan issued a statement:
“The National Archives Rotunda is the shelter for our nation’s founding documents. All Americans are welcome to view and comprehend the guiding principles of our country by using the [documents]. We take vandalism of this kind extremely seriously.”
The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights are among the other treasures in the National Archives rotunda, but the cases guarding those papers remained unaffected.
Though cleaning will keep the rotunda closed on Wednesday and Thursday, the Constitution itself is unharmed. On Thursday, the public areas of the archives facility will be open as well.
The demonstrators belonged to the Declare Emergency Climate Organization, which says they are working to prevent climate change from bringing about the end of the planet.
In response to the arrests, the group wrote on X, saying, “We don’t desire the end of civilization, but that’s the route we’re now on. The peaceful civil disobedience of Declare Emergency is love in action every day, not just on Valentine’s Day.”
Over the last several years, protests against climate change have damaged numerous historical documents and artworks. Last year, demonstrators at the National Museum of Art targeted a monument of Edgar Degas.
