News

Protesters topple Confederate monument on UNC campus

by Brett Samuels - 08/20/18 10:20 PM ET

Protesters on the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus on Monday night brought down a controversial monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers, according to media reports.

The Daily Tar Heel posted a series of photos and videos that showed protesters surrounding the monument and shrouding it in banners around 8 p.m. The monument was covered in a canvas that read “For a World Without White Supremacy.”

{mosads}By about 9:30 p.m., protesters had toppled the monument, and began burying its head in dirt.

Protesters bury the head in dirt. pic.twitter.com/qrAriio9ox

— The Daily Tar Heel (@dailytarheel) August 21, 2018

Police appeared to form a boundary around the statue and its empty pedestal a short time later, The Daily Tar Heel reported.

Police prepare to set up a boundary. pic.twitter.com/uWQMM9uS3Y

— The Daily Tar Heel (@dailytarheel) August 21, 2018

A student took credit earlier this year for dousing the monument with blood and red ink amid a national pushback to monuments that honor the Confederacy. Maya Little now faces criminal charges for defacing the statue.

Monday’s protest that led to the statue’s downfall began as a gathering in solidarity with Little, The News & Observer reported.

The Silent Sam statue was built on the UNC campus in 1913, but has emerged as a source of tension in recent years. UNC Chancellor Carol Folt told The News & Observer in April that while she believes the statue is “detrimental” to the university, it cannot be moved.

The university said in a statement around 10:30 p.m. that it is “investigating the vandalism and assessing the full extent of the damage.”

“Tonight’s actions were dangerous, and we are very fortunate that no one was injured,” the school said.

A statement about the Confederate Monument at UNC-Chapel Hill pic.twitter.com/7D45yiAAeb

— UNC-Chapel Hill (@UNC) August 21, 2018

The fate of monuments honoring Confederate soldiers have become a hot-button issue following last year’s violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va.

The “Unite the Right Rally” was planned in August 2017 in response to the city’s plans to remove a state of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

A number of municipalities have moved to take down Confederate monuments following the rally, where a woman was killed when white nationalists clashed with counterprotesters.

President Trump, who drew widespread condemnation for his response to Charlottesville, opposed removing the statues, saying the removals amount to the “history and culture” of the United States “being ripped apart.”