#George Washington statue in Portland toppled, set on fire

Protesters in Portland, Oregon wrapped a statue of George Washington in an American flag, lit it on fire — then pulled it down Thursday night, according to a report.

The demonstrators toppled the towering bronze sculpture of the first US president — who owned slaves in the 1700s — during a protest on the eve of Juneteeth, a holiday celebrating the abolition of slavery, over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, according to the CBS affiliate KOIN-TV.

After the founding father statue came crashing down, vandals defaced it with graffiti then left it face-down in Rose City Park before fleeing at around 11 p.m., the station reported.

They spray-painted the words, “F–K COPS” and “BIG FLOYD” on the statue’s base, according to footage posted on Twitter.

Portland police arrived later but it wasn’t immediately clear if any arrests were made, according to the station.

Earlier in the night, two groups — the Rose City Justice and Lavender Caucus — hosted a sit-in rally in the same part of town, where people shared their experiences with racism but didn’t march.

The separate group of 20 protesters met at the statue at around 10 p.m. and the crowd grew as protesters pushed it down.

Earlier in the week, a statue of Thomas Jefferson that stood outside Jefferson High School in Portland was also toppled by protesters, according to the Willamette Week.

Thursday marked the 21st consecutive day of demonstrations for racial justice and police reform in Portland. A small peaceful protest was also held the same night near the city’s Justice Center.