University of Texas to remove statues of Robert E Lee, other Confederate figures

Austin: University of Texas president Greg Fenves has ordered the removal of statues of Robert E Lee and other prominent Confederate figures from a main area of campus, saying such monuments have become “symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism”. [caption id=“attachment_3955143” align=“alignleft” width=“512”] File image of a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee in Charlottesville. AP[/caption] Fenves announced the move late on Sunday night. The university moved a statue of former Confederate president Jefferson Davis from its perch near the campus clock tower to a history museum in 2015. Fenves now says statues of Lee, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston and Confederate Postmaster General John H Reagan also must be moved. The debate over public memorials for Confederate figures roared into national conversation last week after one person was killed in a clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.