Protesters Topple Confederate Statue At University Of North Carolina

A Confederate statue at the University of North Carolina was toppled by a group of over 250 protesters on Monday (August 20) night. The bronze statue, known as "Silent Sam," was commissioned in 1913 by the Daughters of the Confederacy, but has been seen by some as a symbol of racism and white supremacy. Student groups, along with faculty and alumni, have been demanding that the college remove it for years, but school officials said they did not have the legal authority to get rid of the statue, which was erected to honor those who lost their lives fighting for the South during the Civil War. 

The statue had been vandalized multiple times over the past few months, costing the school hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. The college had the statue under constant police surveillance, but that didn't stop the protesters from pulling it to the ground.

A large group of the protesters lured police away while a smaller group stayed behind and used banners to conceal their actions as they tied a rope to the statue and managed to rip it to the ground. Video showed the statue tumbling off of its pedestal as protesters cheered and chanted, while cars honked their horns in approval. 

Carol L. Folt, chancellor of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, blasted the students for their "unlawful and dangerous" actions, adding that they were "very fortunate that no one was injured."

Police arrested one person for concealing their face during a public rally and resisting arrest. Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate the vandalism and could bring charges against some of the protesters. 

Photo: Getty Images


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