Protesters at the University of North Carolina have toppled and desecrated a Confederate monument on campus, chanting “Next up, Charlottesville.”
According to local media reports and videos, the 1913 “Silent Sam” statue to honor soldiers who were killed in the Civil War was torn down and then had dirt poured on it.
BREAKING NEWS: Silent Sam is down! Protesters have toppled the controversial statue on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. #WRAL pic.twitter.com/JLOAERUI5P
— WRAL NEWS in NC (@WRAL) August 21, 2018
“I feel liberated — like I’m a part of something big. It’s literally my fourth day here,” freshman Natalia Walker told the Daily Tar Heel. “This is the biggest thing I’ve ever been a part of in my life, just activist-wise. All of these people coming together for this one sole purpose and actually get it done was the best part.”
At least one person was arrested at the demonstration, which took place the day before classes start, according to reporters for WRAL, the Raleigh NBC affiliate.
The arrest happened after a brief altercation with police when protesters were told to remove bandanas from their faces — ironically, an ordinance designed as an anti-KKK measure.
The crowd was chanting “Maya, Maya” as Maya Little, who had been arrested in April for smearing the statue with ink, spoke to them.
“It’s time to tear down Silent Sam,” she exhorted.
After the statue was torn down, police set up a boundary around the empty pedestal, as the crowd vowed to do the same thing at the site of the protests that killed Heather Heyer and two police officers: “Next up, Charlottesville.”
In a statement on Monday night, the university called the actions of the protesters “dangerous.”
“Tonight’s actions were dangerous, and we are very fortunate that no one was injured. We are investigating the vandalism and assessing the full extent of the damage,” the statement said.
The university did not immediately say whether it would restore the statue, though.
Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat who has called for removing the statue, also was not amused.
“The Governor understands that many people are frustrated by the pace of change and he shares their frustration, but violent destruction of public property has no place in our communities,” he wrote on Twitter.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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