The University has launched an investigation after a statue of George Washington in University Yard was vandalized.

The bricks in front of the statue were spray-painted in black with the words “GW owned 318 slaves,” followed by a phrase that included an expletive. The base of the statue was spray-painted with an anarchist symbol.

The vandalism was reported to the University Police Department on Sunday, University spokeswoman Maralee Csellar said. She said a request for removing the spray paint has been submitted, but did not have information about when the statue was vandalized.