A vandal spray painted the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, the National Park Service (NPS) says.
The words “[expletive] law” sprayed in red paint can be seen on a column of the monument in a photo provided by NPS.
The graffiti was found at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, NBC reported.
Silver spray paint was also found on a Smithsonian wayfinding sign on Constitution Avenue.
Preservation crews are working to remove the paint. The specialists are using a “mild, gel-type architectural paint stripper” to take off the paint safely, according to NBC Washington.
The Lincoln Memorial has been a major tourist attraction since 1930. It has special symbolism for race-related issues. Martin Luther King Jr delivered the timeless “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the memorial on Aug. 28, 1963.
On Monday, vandals toppled a Confederate statue in Durham, North Carolina. Police did not make any arrests at the time, but are now looking to identify the people responsible to press criminal charges.
Late on Saturday night, a Confederate statue was vandalized with orange paint in Kentucky. City workers started cleaning the statue dedicated to Confederate soldier John B. Castleman on Monday.
