For much of the past four and a half decades, a controversial protest encampment stood directly across from the White House.

Yet in a move which left Democrats seething, President Donald Trump recently gave the order to dismantle it. 

White House Peace Vigil sat in Lafayette Park since 1981

As NBC News reported, the encampment was known as the White House Peace Vigil and it was first erected in 1981 by activist William Thomas.

Located on the grounds of Lafayette Park, which sits parallel to the White House's North Lawn, the location was used to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Thomas occupied the site until his death in 2009, after which it was taken over by other activists, including Philipos Melaku-Bello, who is planning to challenge the removal in court.

"The difference between an encampment and a vigil is that an encampment is where homeless people live. As you can see, I don’t have a bed," Melaku-Bello told NBC News.

GOP congressman called for vigil's removal

"I have signs and it is covered by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression," he continued.

"They’re choosing to call a place that is not an encampment an encampment just to fit what is in Trump’s agenda of removing the encampments," the activist went on to insist.

However, the Washington Post reported that New Jersey Republican Rep. Van Drew disputed Melaku-Bello's claims of constitutional protection when he lodged a complaint with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

"Let me be clear: nothing in the Constitution guarantees the right to erect permanent structures and occupy public land day after day, year after year, in a manner that creates public safety hazards, degrades the appearance of one of our most iconic parks, and burdens both the District and the National Park Service," Van Drew wrote in a letter to Burgum.

"No group should be above the law, and the continued allowance of this permanent occupation sends the wrong message to law-abiding Americans," the congressman asserted.

Vigil was dismantled on Sunday following an order from Trump

"This isn't about stopping protest. It’s about upholding the rule of law, preserving one of America’s most iconic public spaces, and ending a double standard that’s made a mockery of both," Van Drew declared.

NBC News noted how the White House Peace Vigil was dismantled on Sunday on order from Trump, who is working to remove homeless encampments from Washington.

For its part, the White House issued a statement which described the vigil as being a "hazard to those visiting the White House and the surrounding areas."