Lincoln Memorial And Smithsonian Vandalized Amid Escalating Anti-White Supremacy Protests

While anti-white supremacy protests across America continue to escalate and national monuments are being torn down and defaced, the most recent monument subjected to vandalism is the Abraham Lincoln Memorial at the end of the National Mall in Washington D.C.

Civil-era monuments, most of them commemorating prominent Confederate figures, have been the target of vigilante destruction since the violent protests erupted in Charlottesville on Saturday.

Now, it seems, the anger has reached the United States capital as dissidents spray painted the words “f**k law” onto one of the giant columns that tower around the massive statue of Abraham Lincoln.

The National Park Service (NPS) issued a statement clarifying that one of their employees discovered the expletive sprayed in bright red onto the white column. The NPS is actively working on removing the offensive graffiti on one of Washington D.C.’s most famous landmarks.

A sign detailing a map of Smithsonian museums in the area was also defaced, this time with silver spray paint. The NPS said that it was not clear what the graffiti was intended to mean, and a preservation crew was already at the scene to remove the paint.

“It’s frustrating, not only for the Park Service but certainly for the visitors that come here, that anyone would vandalize any of our iconic memorials. Especially the Lincoln Memorial. Especially with everything that’s going on now,” said Mike Litterst on behalf of the National NPS.

“To go to the site of the memorial to Abraham Lincoln and do that, that’s disappointing.”

According to a report by Reuters, the national monuments in Washington D.C. are frequently defaced by disgruntled citizens wishing to make a pointed political statement.

In February this year, the World War II, D.C. War Memorial, Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial were all marred by graffiti that seemed to be promulgating propaganda and political conspiracy theories.

Using either a sharpie or a magic marker, one of the vandals wrote: “Jackie shot JFK,” while another proposed another conspiracy hypothesis about the September 11 attacks.

In 2013, the statues of Abraham Lincoln and Joseph Henry were splattered with green paint.

The current spate of civil disobedience has resulted in sharp focus being placed on the debate around whether national monuments that memorialize pro-slavery Confederate figures should remain on their respective pedestals in public view.

For many, particularly the African American community, the Confederate statues are triggering reminders of the United State’s history of a relentless, brutal oppression of its black citizens.

The United States Park Police is currently investigating the incident.

[Featured Image by YMZK-Photo/Shutterstock]