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A bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike, which was toppled by demonstrators in 2020 following George Floyd’s death, was reinstalled this past weekend in Washington, D.C.
The statue, which stands 11 feet tall atop a 16-foot granite pedestal, was pulled down with ropes, spray-painted with graffiti and set on fire by demonstrators who viewed it as a symbol of systemic racism and the Confederacy.
The vandalism occurred on June 19, 2020, also known as Juneteenth, the day that recognizes the end of slavery in the United States. It came as a wave of protests and riots swept the country after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
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The bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike, toppled by demonstrators in 2020, is seen after being reinstalled this past weekend in Washington, D.C., a result of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
The statue had been in storage for five years, but crews were seen placing it back on the pedestal on Saturday near Judiciary Square. The memorial stands near the corner of 3rd and D Streets NW.
The effort to restore the statue stems from President Donald Trump’s 2020 executive orders on “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful” and “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
The orders directed federal agencies to safeguard and restore historic monuments damaged during 2020 protests. The orders also called for the protection of American monuments, preservation of American history and heritage, and combating the “revisionist movement.”
Pike was a Confederate general in the Civil War and also served as an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.
He was one of the most influential figures in the history of American Freemasonry and the statue itself depicts Pike dressed in masonic clothing, wearing a double-breasted vest and a long coat. His right arm is extended, and he is holding a book with his left arm, thought to be his work, “Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.”
A side view of the statue seen on Monday. The statue was erected in 1901 to honor Pike’s Masonic scholarship. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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The statue was funded by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and was erected in 1901 to honor Pike’s Masonic scholarship, according to the White House.
The National Park Service said the move to restore the monument complies with federal law and policy.
“The National Park Service announced on Aug. 4, 2025, that it will restore and reinstall the bronze statue of Albert Pike, which was damaged and vandalized during the Black Lives Matter riots in June 2020,” the agency said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The restoration aligns with federal responsibilities under historic-preservation law and recent executive orders to beautify the nation’s capital and restore pre-existing statues.”
However, the move to restore the statue was slammed by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, who for years tried to permanently remove it.
The pedestal where the statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike once stood remains covered in graffiti after demonstrators pulled it down during protests at Judiciary Square in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2020, following the death of George Floyd. (Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)
“The morally objectionable move is an affront to the mostly Black and Brown residents of the District of Columbia and offensive to members of the military who serve honorably,” Norton said in a statement.
“Pike himself served dishonorably. He took up arms against the United States, misappropriated funds and was ultimately captured and imprisoned by his own troops,” she added. “He resigned in disgrace after committing a war crime and dishonoring even his own Confederate military service.
Holmes Norton said that Confederate statues should be placed in museums as historical artifacts and that Pike represents “the worst of the Confederacy and has no claim to be memorialized in the Nation’s capital.”
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Norton introduced a bill in August to permanently remove the statue and authorize the Secretary of the Interior to donate it to a museum or a similar entity.
Norton’s bill previously passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources during the 116th Congress.
Fox News’ Rachel del Guidice contributed to this report.