The National Park Service has restored the statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike, which was toppled and set ablaze during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, to its plinth in Washington’s Judiciary Square park.
Workers restored the statue Saturday, following a monthslong restoration effort by the park service.
“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,” the agency said Tuesday, referring to orders from President Donald Trump.
The bronze statue was pulled from its perch during nationwide protests against the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. While the 2020 protests initially focused on police violence against Black Americans, they also sparked a national debate over whether statues honoring Confederate leaders should be removed.
