Self-proclaimed climate activists poured red powder on the protective enclosure housing the U.S. Constitution on Wednesday afternoon at the National Archives building.
The Constitution was not damaged during the attack, which occurred around 2:30 p.m., according to a National Archives post on X.
A video of the incident posted on X showed the two men covered in a red powder standing with their arms raised in front of the glass enclosure that protects the Constitution.
"We are determined to foment a rebellion," one man says. "We all deserve clean air, water, food, and a livable climate."
Police promptly escorted the two men out of the building.
Climate activists around the world have attacked historic artifacts as a means of garnering attention. On Tuesday, Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" was targeted at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
"The National Archives Rotunda is the sanctuary for our nation's founding documents. They are here for all Americans to view and understand the principles of our nation," Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan said in a statement. "We take such vandalism very seriously and we will insist that the perpetrators be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
The building is expected to reopen on Thursday.