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."