Removal of Confederate statue in Charlottesville causes division, with protesters calling it an erasure of history
The removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville polarized Americans on Saturday, as the United States continues to take down monuments that are now deemed too controversial.
In 2017, the proposed removal of the statue led to the infamous Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, during which a protester against the event was killed during a car attack.
Now, nearly four years after the rally, Charlottesville, Virginia has taken down the statue, with Mayor Nikuyah Walker calling it “one small step closer” to making the US “grapple with the sin of being willing to destroy Black people for economic gain.”
charlottesville’s robert e lee statue has been lifted from the plinth pic.twitter.com/3pou4f86dv
— molly conger (@socialistdogmom) July 10, 2021
The removal was praised by some Americans, who called it “a great change” and called for the statue to be put in a museum or melted “into copper piping for a toilet.” One person even called for the Confederate flag to be banned next.
Good. Just put it in a museum.
— Landy Taylor (@landytaylor1) July 10, 2021
Good. Out of the cities and off to the statue graveyard, just like they did with all the Soviet statues. pic.twitter.com/mD478Dvwnb
— Timothy Castantine🕴 (@Castantine) July 10, 2021
melt that trash down and turn it into copper piping for a toilet
— pretty take machine (@kidzbopwutang) July 10, 2021
Others, however, accused the city of Charlottesville of erasing US history, wasting taxpayer’s money, and virtue signaling.
As a Dem, what will this really accomplish? I'm sick of the lame stuff being taken down at the expense of actual policies Dems are advocating for: George Floyd Policing Act, HR-1, Voting Rights For the People ACt https://t.co/znRkWKAB8A
— Miyanaire 🧁💘☮👽 (@MiyaCarderas) July 10, 2021
"Doing this helped to spark a violent white supremacist rally so we've decided to do it again" https://t.co/r9GMptBw7Z
— President Garu 'The Hammer' Chungus 🎶 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 (@garuweebwebb) July 10, 2021
Who pays for this process? IMHO these things should be auctioned off, with their removal and renovation of the area paid by the winner. The winner then gets to put the statue on their own property in an area not visible from the street. The rest of the money is donated to charity
— Podcast Music Factory (@Webpuppy45) July 10, 2021
“No. No more monuments taken down. No more history removed. Ever,” protested conservative commentator Jesse Kelly. “Stop negotiating with terrorists who use your values against you. That’s how we lose.”
168 Confederate statues, monuments, and symbols were removed in 2020 alone, with even more being taken down this year.
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