Protesters tear down, burn statue of Confederate general in DC

Protestors in Washington, D.C., toppled and burned a statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike late Friday on the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

Approximately 80 to 100 people gathered around the statue of Pike at Judiciary Square at 11 p.m. Friday and toppled it 15 minutes later, according to Fox 5 DC. The protestors then lit the statue on fire.

BREAKING : ALBERT PIKE STATUE TORN DOWN. Protesters converged on Judiciarw Square in the District to tear down this stature of a confederate general @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/CHXucC4Gzi

— Ike Ejiochi (@IkeEjiochi) June 20, 2020

Shortly after, President Trump knocked the city’s police department for allowing the incident to happen, and called for the immediate arrest of the persons involved.

“The D.C. Police are not doing their job as they watch a statue be ripped down & burn. These people should be immediately arrested. A disgrace to our Country!” he tweeted, tagging the city’s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser. 

The D.C. Police are not doing their job as they watch a statue be ripped down & burn. These people should be immediately arrested. A disgrace to our Country! @MayorBowser

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2020

Cities and states across the country have begun removing statues of polarizing historical figures amid a national reckoning over racial injustice sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody.

Floyd’s death has prompted protests nationwide, as well as renewed calls from activists and lawmakers for the removal of monuments commemorating figures believed to be symbols of racism.

Pike’s statue is reportedly the only Confederate monument in D.C.