Politics

Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue taken down in Charlottesville, four years after riots

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On Saturday morning, the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was removed from Charlottesville, Virginia, four years after opposing rallies clashed in Charlottesville, which resulted in the death of Heather Heyer.

City officials announced their plans to remove the statue on Friday.  The vote to remove the statue was a unanimous 5-0. Officials removed the statue at 8 a.m., and several hours later also took down Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s statue. The stone pedestals will be taken down and taken to a secure location until the Charlottesville City Council decides what should be done with them. The recent campaign to take down the statues began in 2016, when then-16-year-old Zyahna Bryant created a petition to rename and remove Lee’s statue.

“Taking down this statue is one small step closer to the goal of helping Charlottesville, Virginia, and America, grapple with the sin of being willing to destroy Black people for economic gain,” Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker said in a speech. The statues were given to Charlottesville in 1919. The Jackson statue has been up since 1921, and the Lee statue was first placed in 1924.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: NEW YORK TIMES

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Paul Murdoch

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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