NPR

Charlottesville Rally Aimed To Defend A Confederate Statue. It May Have Doomed Others

White supremacists gathered near a Confederate monument Saturday with the stated intent of saving it. But after a weekend of violence, other cities are now speeding the removal of their own statues.
The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee stands in the center of Emancipation Park the day after violence broke out in Charlottesville, Va. The "Unite the Right" rally aimed to save the statue, which the city council has voted to remove. But several cities have now reacted to the rally by hastening the removal of their own Confederate monuments. / Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

On Saturday, white supremacists converged on Charlottesville, Va. to protest the pending removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Their stated goal: to "take America back" — and to begin doing so by saving Lee's monument, which has become a lightning rod since the local city council voted to remove it earlier this year.

Within hours, in the chaos surrounding the gathering — one of whom by a rally attendee.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR5 min readIndustries
China Makes Cheap Electric Vehicles. Why Can't American Shoppers Buy Them?
American drivers want cheap EVs. Chinese automakers are building them. But you can't buy them in the U.S., thanks to tariffs in the name of U.S. jobs and national security. Two car shoppers weigh in.
NPR3 min read
In The 1980s, He Led Student Protests. Now, He's A College Dean
Pedro Noguera led anti-apartheid protests as a student at UC Berkeley. Forty years later, he offers his thoughts on the ongoing protests at the University of Southern California over the war in Gaza.
NPR3 min readInternational Relations
Israeli Army Tells Palestinians To Evacuate Parts Of Rafah
The Israeli military on Monday ordered tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Rafah to evacuate, a move indicating Israel's offensive on Gaza's southmost area could be imminent.

Related Books & Audiobooks