America's largest Confederate statue - the 12-ton bronze statue of Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia - was ...
America's largest Confederate statue - the 12-ton bronze statue of Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia - was removed from its pedestal to the sound of 'Black Lives Matter' chants and crowds singing 'Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye' in the latest victory for BLM.
The 21ft bronze statute of Lee atop a horse will now be sent to the Goochland Women's Correctional Center in Virginia until officials know what to do with it permanently. It is the latest Confederate statue to have been toppled by the BLM movement amid protest from white residents who thought it should be preserved in history.
Crews began hoisting the 21-foot-tall bronze likeliness of Lee on horseback about 8 a.m. EST and an hour later, it was on the ground, protected by a fence which kept crowds of spectators back.
After being brought to the ground, workers began severing the top of the statue from the bottom using electric saws.
Workers who were removing the statue gave the crowd a three-second countdown before they lifted the statue from its pedestal.
The crowds of spectators cheered, whooped then broke into song, chanting 'Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye' as it was lowered to the ground. They also chanted 'Black Lives Matter'.
The 40ft concrete pedestal that it sat atop will remain in place for now, until officials decide what to do with it.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam made the decision to remove the statue last year ten days after George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
The statue was erected in 1890, 25 years after the end of the Civil War, and 20 years after Lee's death. It was funded by the Lee Monument Commission, founded in 1886, which was led by Lee's nephew, former Virginia Governor Fitzhugh Lee.
Along with the statue, a time capsule that was buried at the site is also expected to be removed on Thursday and replaced with a 2021 capsule, filled with 39 'artifacts' that include an expired vial of a COVID vaccine, a Black Lives Matter sticker, a 'New Virginians booklet with portraits of 24 migrants and a 'Virginia is for Lovers' pride pin and sticker.
The huge statue of General Robert E. Lee is removed from the pedestal where it has been for 131 years in a huge BLM victory on Wednesday morning
The 12-ton statue was removed from its pedestal shortly before 9am. People gathered to watch it chanted 'Black Lives Matter' and sang 'Na Na Na Na, hey hey hey, goodbye'
The statue of former Confederate General Robert E. Lee is removed from Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia on September 8, 2021
The statue on the ground next to the 40ft concrete pedestal where it has been for 131 years. The pedestal will remain in its place for now
Crews are now severing the statue of Lee at its waist. The top part will be removed and then the horse and his legs will be cut from the plinth
Crews use a saw to cut the statue as they remove one of the country's largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021
The statue is being taken apart, into two pieces, that will then be sent to a women's prison before officials know what to do with it permanently
After removing the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from its pedestal, workers saw off the torso in Richmond, Virginia, USA, 08 September 2021
The horse is removed from Monument Avenue on Wednesday afternoon after the top half was removed
The public watch crews work to remove one of the country's largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021, in Richmond
In a statement after it was removed, Gov. Ralph Northam said: 'This was a long time coming, part of the healing process so Virginia can move forward and be a welcoming state with inclusiveness and diversity'.
He added that it represented '400 years of history that we should not be proud of'.
The statue had been fenced off and the roads surrounding it were closed at the start of the week in an effort to thwart crowds of protesters on both sides of the debate over removing it.
Pedestrians watched the removal in a designated area on Monument Avenue.
Northam announced plans to remove statue in June 2020, 10 days after George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, sparking nationwide protests against police brutality and racism.
In anticipation of the statue coming down, the roads around it in Richmond were closed on Wednesday.
The plans were stalled for more than a year by two lawsuits filed by residents opposed to its removal, but rulings last week by the Supreme Court of Virginia cleared the way for the statue to be taken down.
Devon Henry, owner of the construction company that removed the statue, hugs his mom, Freda Thorton, after he removed one of the country's largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy
Onlookers watch workers as they remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, after the Virginia Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state can take it down, in Richmond, Virginia, U.S., September 8, 2021
People celebrate as the statue of Robert E. Lee is lowered from its pedestal at Robert E. Lee Memorial during a removal September 8, 2021 in Richmond, Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia is removing the largest Confederate statue remaining in the U.S. following authorization by all three branches of state government, including a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of Virginia
People watch from behind the fenced off circle as statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is removed in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021
After the monument was taken down, a BLM protester with a BLM flag hopped the fence and ran inside the enclosure
Workers prepare to hoist the 12-ton General Robert E. Lee statue from its pedestal in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday morning. The 131-year-old Confederate statute is the largest in the South. It is being torn down on Wednesday then split in half and sent to a women's prison for temporary storage until officials know which organization to give it to permanently. Private citizens and museums have expressed interest in the statue
The statue was lifted off its column on Wednesday morning but the enormous 40ft concrete pedestal will remain in place
Crew prepares to remove one of the country's largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue, in Richmond, U.S., September 8, 20
Hundreds gathered to watch the statue going up in 1890. The Civil War ended 25 years earlier and Lee died in 1870. It was erected in 1890 at the commission of his nephew, the former Governor of Virginia, Fitzhugh Lee, and was paid for by the Lee Monument Association
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam watches the Robert E. Lee statue being removed on Wednesday morning. He ordered the statue's removal last summer after George Floyd's death
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