[ad_1]
The Virginia Supreme Court paved the way for the removal of two federal statues in Charlottesville on Thursday. One of them was previously the center of a deadly 2017 rally attended by hundreds of neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
The· State Supreme Court overturns inferior court ruling In support of a group of residents who have sued the city to prevent the destruction of statues of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.
This decision is the latest in a series Similar moves nationwide to remove the symbol of white supremacy.. According to a year-end update of the Southern Poverty Law Center, 168 such symbols were renamed or removed last year, including placards, the dedication of buildings, and more than 90 Confederate monuments. “Who’s Legacy?” Report, Track Confederate symbols across the country.
Charlottesville has received particular national attention since 2017 after the “Unite the Right” rally was held in the city in August. The event’s white supremacist organizers said they had gathered to protect the statue of Lee, who is currently allowed to be removed.
Organizers met with a large group of opposition activists, killing three people and injuring dozens in the clash. A woman was killed at the event after a neo-Nazi thrust his car into a protester. President Donald Trump at that time There were “good” people on “both sides” of the protest.
Confederate emblems are common in the South, but Virginia has the most Confederate symbols.
In February, Legislature passed a bill to remove the statues of former Virginia Governor and US Senator Harry F. Birdsenior from the premises of the Legislature. He was considered the designer of the state’s racist “massive resistance” policy to the integration of public schools.
Activists have long sought to remove these symbols, but after George Floyd’s death, the movement became more powerful. Today, the Confederate symbol is more closely associated with white supremacy, but many still defend these statues and monuments as a Southern heritage.
According to the latest SPLC report published in February, nearly 2,100 emblems and dedication to the Confederates remain, including more than 700 statues.
Contribution: Associated Press
This article was originally published in USA TODAY: Charlottesville Confederate statues can be removed: Virginia Court
[ad_2]