A statue of a Confederate general that was torn down and set on fire in 2020 during social justice protests in Washington has been restored under orders from President Donald Trump.
The statue of General Albert Pike has long been a source of controversy, like many Confederate monuments in the United States erected in the decades after the Civil War.
In August, the National Park Service announced its plan to return the repaired statue after Trump signed an executive order called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
Democratic Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District of Columbia, called the reinstatement “an affront to service members who serve honorably.”
On Monday afternoon, videos showed the area around the Pike statue in Washington with a sign reading “Area Closed. Work is underway to preserve the historical heritage.”
“The restoration is consistent with federal responsibilities under the Historic Preservation Act and recent executive orders to beautify the nation's capital and restore pre-existing statues,” the National Park Service said in a statement.
The statue, built in 1901, has been a source of controversy for years. Local government members have been calling for its removal for decades.
Holmes Norton, a longtime critic, has introduced legislation several times to permanently remove the Pike statue.
“Pike himself served dishonorably,” she said in a statement after the statue was restored. “He took up arms against the United States, embezzled funds, and was ultimately captured and imprisoned by his own troops.”
“Confederate statues should be placed in museums as historical artifacts, rather than remaining in parks or other places that imply honor,” Holmes Norton added.
The Pike statue was the only monument to a Confederate general in the nation's capital before it was torn down in 2020.
Pike was the longtime leader of the Freemasons, the centuries-old secret society that paid for the statue.
His body is buried at the Washington headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, where there is also a small museum in his honor.
Pike's critics accused him of helping form the Ku Klux Klan. The Masons insist that the evidence does not support the charges.
The plaque on which the statue used to be read: “Author, poet, scientist, soldier, lawyer, orator, philanthropist and philosopher.”
Anti-racism protesters used ropes and chains to tear down a statue of Pike following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a police officer in 2020.
Then-President Trump, during his first term, condemned the toppling on Twitter, writing: “DC Police are not doing their job watching the statue being torn down and burned. These people should be arrested immediately. This is a shame for our country.”
Floyd's death sparked a national reckoning with systemic racism, prompting widespread calls to remove Confederate monuments. Ultimately, more than 300 of these memorials were demolished across the country.
Back at the White House, Trump ordered the reinstallation of statues and paintings of Confederate generals.
