Robert E. Lee Statue Removed

The fourth monument to be taken down by the New Orleans city council and Mayor Mitch Landrieu was the Robert E. Lee statue which sat on a 70-foot perch downtown.

The previous 3 statues had been removed in the middle of the night without warning while workers wore masks to hide their identity and police and snipers were on duty to ensure orderly removal.

Opponents of the movement claim it is a rewriting or erasing of history, and the moves have been protested as well as supported.

Last week, the Louisiana statehouse passed HB71 to require a referendum before any memorial could be altered, removed, relocated or destroyed. Black members walked out to demonstrate their opposition to the law. The move was taken in order to prevent local governments like Landrieu's from removing more Confederate monuments.

Confederate General Statue Removed as Part of Monument Removal Program

In the middle of the night Wednesday morning in New Orleans cranes removed Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard's statue. Police and snipers were in place during the operation to ensure no one interfered.

The city council and mayor plan to remove the statue of General Robert E. Lee next.

Monument Removal Continues: Confederate President Statue

New Orleans City Council and Mayor Mitch Landrieu have continued their plan to remove monuments to Confederate history by removing a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis on Davis Street. The statue stood for 106 years.

The removal was conduced in the middle of the night, as Landrieu said removals would be done, early Thursday while police stood between dozens of people, some voicing opposition and protest, some support.

Confederate Monument Removal Protesters Clash

New Orleans has been removing monuments to its Confederate history, led by Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Sunday afternoon protesters met at Lee Square, as did people who support monument removal.

The protesters included some considered to be white supremacists, but the peaceful protesters of all beliefs were aligned, as, in the words of one man who attended who did not give his full name: "As long as they're fighting for my interests I'm with them."

Many have voiced their concern about the erasing of history, whether they agree with the beliefs of those commemorated at the time or not.

However, monument removal advocates voiced their opinion in chants such as "Go home racists," and "Hey hey, ho ho, white supremacy's got to go."