‘An incredible day’: General Robert E Lee statue removed in Charlottesville after protests
- The Confederate statue’s removal came more than five years after racial justice activists had renewed a push to take down the monument
- Work to remove Lee’s statue, and one of Confederate General Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson soon after, proceeded peacefully
Cheers erupted on Saturday as a Confederate statue that towered for nearly a century over downtown Charlottesville was carted away by truck from the Virginia city where it had become a flashpoint for racist protests and deadly violence.
It was a day of palpable joy and immense relief for scores of residents and visitors who lined neighbouring streets to watch the larger-than-life figure of General Robert E Lee as it was removed from its pedestal and taken – at least for now – to storage.
The statue’s removal came more than five years after racial justice activists had renewed a push to take down the monument, an initiative that drew the attention of white supremacists and other racist groups, culminating in the violent “Unite the Right” rally in 2017.
“I’m ecstatic that we’re here now. It’s sad that it’s taken so much to get us to this point. But this is an incredible day,” said Don Gathers, a local black activist who long advocated for the statue’s removal.
Work to remove Lee’s statue, and one of Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson soon after, proceeded peacefully and without interruption. It was a project held up for years by a long, winding legal fight coupled with changes in a state law that protected war memorials.