Rioters pull down Albert Pike statue in Washington DC

Anti-government rioters gathered around the Albert Pike statue at Judiciary Square in Washington DC Friday evening and pulled it down.

Pike was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army and was an open proponent of slavery. But historians say that these blemishes on American history are important to remember, and tearing down the statues—in effect, erasing history—due to his unfavorable views is not productive.

Early in the evening, rioters began by scaling the side of the statue, wrapping chains and rope around it before others took the opposite end and started tugging.

Some demonstrators stood around recording while others had a hard time in getting the statue to loosen from its moorings.

But it did not take long before they were able to topple the statue, which was followed by roars and cheers from the attendees.

Then they lit the statue on fire:

The toppling of the statue prompted President Donald Trump to take to Twitter, tweeting: "The D.C. Police are not doing their job as they watch a statue be ripped down & burn. These people should be immediately arrested. A disgrace to our Country!  @MayorBowser"

One person read Trump's tweet out loud as a crowd of demonstrators made their way down the street. They laughed and mocked the fact that Trump said the DC Police were not doing their jobs.

It is unclear why Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser allowed the vandalism to continue throughout the night without dispersing the crowd.