Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee

Charlottesville set to remove Lee statue that sparked white supremacist rally

By Edward Era Barbacena

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Charlottesville says a Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally is set to come down Saturday.

The city said in a news release Friday afternoon that the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee seated on a horse as well as a nearby figure of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson will both be removed.

The development comes more than five years after racial-justice activists began a renewed push to remove the figures.

As those efforts evolved, the Lee monument became a rallying point for white supremacists and other racist groups, culminating in the violent "Unite the Right" rally in 2017.

32-year-old protester Heather Heyer died after being run down during the chaos.

According to USA Today, fencing will be put up, and people will view the statues being removed from designated areas in the parks.