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CHARLOTTESVILLE, N.C.——(77WABC)
A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been hoisted off its stone pedestal.
Work to remove the statue of General Robert E. Lee began early this morning.
Crews also took down a statue of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.
The removal of the Lee statue follows years of contention, community anguish and legal fights.
A push for removal bubbled up in 2016.
The monument then became a rallying cry for white supremacists and other racist groups, culminating in the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in which peaceful counter-protester Heather Heyer was killed.
Robert E. Lee statue removed in Charlottesville, nearly four years after violent Unite the Right rally https://t.co/m79VxNlx3f
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 10, 2021
