NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu put into motion the removal of Confederate monuments early Monday, Fox News reported, while a group that sued the city to halt the action held a vigil in protest. The first of four statues were removed before dawn on Monday.
The Liberty Monument, erected in 1891, is an obelisk that commemorates the Crescent City White League, which tried to overthrow a biracial government in New Orleans after the Civil War.
Landrieu called the Liberty Monument “the most offensive of the four” and said it was erected to “revere white supremacy,” Fox News reported.
“If there was ever a statue that needed to be taken down, it’s that one,” Landrieu said.
Meanwhile, the Monumental Task Committee began holding a vigil at midnight at the Jefferson Davis statue, WWL reported.
Landrieu has begun reviewing a bid for the removal of the Davis, Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard statues, WWL reported.
A City Hall spokesman issued a statement Sunday, saying that the city is “committed to taking down the Confederate monuments.”
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