Texas university removes Confederate statues

The University of Texas at Austin removedthe statues of three Confederate-era figures from a main area oncampus on Monday, saying they had become symbols of whitesupremacy and that they were taken down overnight to avoidconfrontations.

Violence broke out in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12when white nationalists protestingthe planned removalof a statue of Confederate military leader Robert E. Lee clashedwith anti-racism demonstrators. One woman was killed when asuspected white nationalist drove his car into a crowd.

Confederate monuments have become symbols of modern whitesupremacy. Greg Fenves, university president

U.S. President Donald Trump's reaction to the events has drawn widespread anger from across the political spectrum. Trump did not immediately condemn white nationalists and said there were "very fine people" on both sides, prompting several chief executives to quit his business councils in protest.

"Last week, the horrific displays of hatred at theUniversity of Virginia and in Charlottesville shocked andsaddened the nation," University of Texas at Austin presidentGreg Fenves said in a statement.

"These events make it clear, now more than ever, thatConfederate monuments have become symbols of modern whitesupremacy and neo-Nazism."

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Fenves announced the removal of the statues shortly beforemidnight on Sunday. By about 3 a.m. local time the next day, theyhad all been taken down, said Cindy Posey, director of campussafety communications. It was done at night as a safety measureto avoid confrontations, she said.

A growing number of U.S. political leaders are calling forthe removal of statues honouring the Confederacy, saying theypromote racism. Supporters of keeping the statues in placecontend they are a reminder of southern heritage and thecountry's history.

The statues of three Confederate figures and a formergovernor removed from the university's main mall were "erectedduring the period of Jim Crow laws and segregation" and"represent the subjugation of African Americans," the universitypresident said.

The statues include depictions of Lee, who led thepro-slavery Confederacy's army, of Confederate General AlbertSidney Johnston and of Confederate Postmaster General JohnReagan.

Those three will be moved to the school's Briscoe Centre forAmerican History, where they will be accessible for scholarlystudy, Fenves said.

Workers also removed a statue of former Governor JamesStephen Hogg, who led Texas from 1891 to 1895, years after theCivil War ended in 1865. It will be considered forre-installation at another university site, Fenves said.

Several cities have targeted Confederate symbols in responseto the violence in Charlottesville. They include Baltimore,Maryland, which removed four monuments to the Confederacy in apre-dawn operation last week, and Birmingham, Alabama, where themayor vowed to seek the removal of a Confederate monument in hiscity.

On Saturday, Duke University removed a statue of Lee fromthe entrance of a chapel on the Durham, North Carolina, campus.

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