Roosevelt statue in New York to be removed as museum considers it racist

The statue of former US president Theodore Roosevelt outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City will be removed amid protests across the United States triggered by the killing of African-American man George Floyd, the museum said in a statement.

"Over the last few weeks, our Museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd. We also have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues and monuments as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism," the museum said in a statement on Sunday.

"While the Statue is owned by the City, the Museum recognizes the importance of taking a position at this time. We believe that the Statue should no longer remain and have requested that it be moved," the statement reads.

The museum authorities further referred to the controversial nature of the monument that has a "hierarchical composition that places one figure on horseback and the others walking alongside."

The museum did not specify when the statue will be removed exactly but stressed that it finds the depiction of a Native American man and an African man next to Roosevelt, who is on horseback, racist.

On Sunday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement that his city supports the museum's request to remove the "problematic" monument.

Theodore Roosevelt served as Governor of New York State before becoming the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt's father was one of the founders of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

"The statue was meant to celebrate Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) as a devoted naturist and author on natural history. At the same time, the statue communicates a racial hierarchy that the museum and members of the public have long found disturbing," the museum added.

Protests erupted across the United States after the death of George Floyd, in police custody in the US state of Minnesota on May 25.

( With inputs from ANI )