As the racial unrest stirred by a neo-Nazi rally in Virginia on Saturday continued throughout the nation on Monday, a group of demonstrators took down a statue of a Confederate soldier outside a courthouse in Durham, North Carolina.
According to the News Observer, nearly 100 demonstrators, describing themselves as anti-fascists, used a ladder to tie a rope around the statue. The crowd used the rope to pull the statue to the ground.
Video of the incident shows the crowd kicking the statue, as others in the crowd cheered on.
The statue has stood outside the courthouse since 1924.
According to a Facebook event page, the protest was organized by the Workers World Party Durham Branch. The protest was organized to demand the removal of all Confederate symbols.
The News Observer reported that members of the Durham County Sheriff’s Office were on hand, but did not get involved. Instead, deputies videotaped the incident.
“Charlottesville and racist monuments across the country are the result of centuries of white supremacy,” Alissa Ellis, a member of Workers World Party Durham branch, told the News Observer. “But we cannot ignore the fact that the current Trump administration has emboldened more Nazis, KKK, and white supremacists to target, brutalize, and kill our communities,”
The protest in Durham was one of many taking place across the country Monday evening. One of the largest rallies against white supremacy was in New York City, outside of President Donald Trump residence. Trump is expected to spend the night in his New York apartment.
Confederate statue that has stood outside the courthouse since 1924 pulled down in #Durham#NorthCarolina in #Charlottesville "solidarity" pic.twitter.com/ExV98eSvQu
— Jack Dawkins (@JackDawkinsAD) August 14, 2017
