Charging Bull statue
The iconic Charging Bull statue on Wall Street and the nearby Fearless Girl statue were vandalised by a Paris climate deal supporter on Thursday, 14 September, morning - File photo Reuters

New York City's iconic "Charging Bull" statue on Wall Street was reportedly vandalised with blue paint early on Thursday (14 September), while the nearby "Fearless Girl" statue was adorned with a blue sash that read "Draw the blue line".

It is suspected that the vandal was a supporter of the Paris climate deal and the act was in protest against US President Donald Trump's threats to withdraw from the agreement.

A middle-aged blonde woman is suspected of carrying out the act, New York Police Department said, citing eye-witness accounts. No arrests have been made in the case, they added.

A video captured near Bowling Green reportedly showed the woman pouring a blue powdery substance over the bull's head in the morning, which was cleaned up before offices opened in the area.

A Facebook post by "Draw the Blue Line" campaign identified the woman as Courtney Frances Fallon. The post was titled "Bulls**t (2017) – Performance vandalism by Courtney Frances Fallon."

Another post of the Fearless Girl statue with the blue sash read: "Suffragette Sash". It was also attributed to Courtney Frances Fallon. A message at the top of the post stated: "Climate change makes me feel fearful — nevertheless, we must persist."

Fallon, 33, told the New York Daily that she splashed blue paint — a mixture of corn oil and industrial chalk — over the bull's head and draped a "Draw the Blue Line" ribbon over the "Fearless Girl" statue opposite the bull around 6am local time (11am BST).

She said: "I'm putting up blue lines throughout New York City to represent rising sea levels as a comment on the United States' potential withdrawal from the Paris Accord.

"And I'm hoping they become so ubiquitous that members of the United Nations will see them and reaffirm their commitment to the agreement," she added.

"Around 6:30 they were hosing it down. It was an officer. The street was closed off," Davon Titus, 27, who works at Planet Fitness across the street told New York Post.

"I would say it's brave. It's a bold statement to get the message out because it's a very known landmark," Titus added and said it was urgent to get the message out there to protect the climate.

Farhad Barekzei, 53, who works as a security guard in the area condemned the act of vandalism, but agreed that steps need to be taken to protect the environment. "Donald Trump — you think we should listen to him? Look at the climate, what's going on around the world. Look at Florida, look at Texas," he said. "It's all over the world. He needs to pay attention to this and not just to me me me."