United States: four years after riots, Charlottesville debunks symbols of slavery

Published on : 07/11/2021 – 08:48

The American city of Charlottesville erased, Saturday, July 10, symbols of the slavery and racist past of the United States by debunking several controversial statues, including those of two Confederate generals, who had been at the origin of deadly clashes between militants of the United States. extreme right and anti-racist protesters in 2017.

These statues, of General Robert Lee, leader of the pro-slavery southern army during the Civil War, and of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, both in uniform and on horseback, were in two small parks near the historic center. from this city in the state of Virginia.

Workers from the municipality dismantled the two statues using a crane, to the cheers and applause of several dozen people.

“Removing this statue is a small step towards the goal of helping Charlottesville, Virginia and America face the sin of having gone so far as to destroy black people for profit,” said the mayor of the city, Nikuyah Walker, before the start of operations.

Symbols of America’s Racist and Slavery Past

In August 2017, hundreds of members of the ultra-right demonstrated to protest against the municipality’s plan to remove these statues, despite being seen by many as symbols of America’s racist and slavery past.

At the end of this rally, clashes broke out between white supremacists and counter-demonstrators.

The latter had been targeted by a neo-Nazi sympathizer, who had driven on them in a car, killing a 32-year-old woman, Heather Heyer, and injuring dozens of people.

President Donald Trump was content to denounce violence “on both sides”, drawing an avalanche of criticism.

Now withdrawn, the statues will be stored until the city council decides their fate, announced the city, which has received ten proposals from public or private organizations wishing to recover them, including four from the state of Virginia.

Since the murder of African American George Floyd by a white policeman in May 2020, many monuments to the glory of the Confederate military have been removed, either by the authorities or by anti-racist protesters.

Four statues to unbolt

During the Civil War (1861-1865), the South had gained its independence from the United States and was fighting to maintain the practice of slavery, abolished in the rest of the country. Virginia, where the first English settlers settled, was then the heart of slave America.

Confederate flags and monuments are today often considered as racist symbols, even if their supporters explain seeing in them a simple heritage of the country’s history and denounce a “culture of erasure”. Charlottesville had already removed in September 2020 the statue of a Confederate soldier erected in 1909.

Another disputed statue in the city center, depicting explorers whose discoveries led to the West Rush, to the detriment of indigenous populations, was also debunked after an emergency city council vote at midday .

The decision to dismantle it was taken in 2019 but “we decided to take the opportunity to have the equipment and staff available” this Saturday, told AFP a spokesperson for the municipality.

A fourth statue must be dismantled on Sunday on the University of Virginia campus, a spokesperson for the institution told AFP.

It represents a general of the American War of Independence who fought against the British army and its Amerindian allies then, after the war, against the Indian tribes to allow the expansion of the white settlers.

Opponents of the statue accuse him of representing the general on horseback accompanied by three armed soldiers, facing three Amerindians in a position of inferiority.

A university racial equality commission recommended his removal in September 2020 in order to “build relationships of trust with the native tribes and community of Virginia.”

With AFP