CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – A few hundred people rallied on the campus of North Carolina’s flagship university to demand the removal of a Confederate statue there. The gathering Tuesday night at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill focused on a statue known as “Silent Sam.” People chanted “tear it down” while police officers watched from behind temporary metal barriers surrounding the statue, depicting a Confederate soldier. “Hey, hey. Ho, ho. This racist statue has got to go,” the crowd also chanted. The protest was largely peaceful, but at least three people were arrested.
Governor Roy Cooper says the university has the authority to take immediate action if it believes the statue is posing a risk to public safety. However, the university says it does not have the legal authority to remove the statue.
