Statues of Robert E. Lee and Christopher Columbus Toppled in Americas

In a continuation of Black Lives Matter protests targeting colonial and supremacist symbols, the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was removed from Richmond, Virginia, after 131 years. The bronze monument, created by French sculptor Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercie and erected in 1890, stood nearly 6.5 meters tall and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, who ordered the removal of three other statues on Monument Avenue the previous summer, streamed the event on Facebook and Twitter. Onlookers cheered as the statue was lowered. Earlier the same day, a 19th-century bronze statue of Christopher Columbus was removed from the Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced it will be replaced by a memorial by Mexican sculptor Pedro Reyes honoring indigenous women, following the International Day of the Indigenous Woman. The Columbus statue had been targeted by protesters denouncing his role in colonization. The Lee statue removal follows that of a similar monument in New Orleans four years ago. Authorities stated a new monument representing the city's identity will be installed in its place.