Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said during a press briefing on Thursday that he has directed the state authorities to remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the state capital of Richmond
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2020) Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said during a press briefing on Thursday that he has directed the state authorities to remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the state capital of Richmond.
"I am directing the Department of General Services to remove the statue of Robert Lee as soon as possible," Northam told reporters.
Robert E. Lee was a commander of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Northam said the statue will go into storage and Richmond residents will determine its future.
The governor noted that the statue has been in Richmond for a long time and said that was wrong.
Northam predicted that many residents will be angry and protest the statue's removal, but urged everybody to take an honest look at Virginia' past.
"It is a time to heal," Northam said.
The governor's decision comes at a time of riots that grew from protests concerning the death of African American man George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25.
A video published online shows a white police officer pressing on Floyd's neck for at least eight minutes while he laid handcuffed on his stomach. The initial protests against police brutality and racism soon turned into violence against police and civilians accompanied by acts of vandalism, arson and looting.
