||||The Herald Sun |||
The intended removal of Confederate monuments continues to stir emotions all around the US.
This Saturday at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, at the site of a sit-in asking for the removal of the statue of Silent Sam, counter-protesters showed up waving Confederate flags.
As is well known, Silent Sam is the showing of a Confederate soldier which serves as a memorial to the Confederate alumni who lost their lives in the American Civil War and all students who joined the Confederate States Army.
Being presented with counter-protesters, the organizers of the sit-in, issued a quick statement on Facebook, saying that: "Any and all support today, as quickly as possible, is greatly needed and appreciated."
UNC student and spokesperson for the sit-in, Miss Mitch Xia, even put it more harshly: "The reason we feel strongly that the statue comes down is what it represented to the people who put it here. We have received an outpouring of support from the community and just people in the area.”
An employee of the University of North Carolina, Miss Kim Stahl, said that: "this was never intended to be a symbol of southern culture. It was intended to be a symbol of racism and hate."
Another participant to the sit-in, who wished to remain anonymous, declared that: "(Silent Sam) captures a Confederate culture, and he's a reminder of the injustice that our country's recent history is based on."
In the past, the Silent Sam statue has frequently been a source of much controversy. Whilst some see it as a symbol of historical remembrance, others say it stands for a sign of racial oppression. Because of this, the monument has been, at numerous occasions, a subject of controversy and a site of protest ever since the 1960s.
The counter-protesters, most of whom said they were from Franklinton and Spring Hope, asked not to be identified by name.
Source:
http://www.wral.com/demonstrators-march-with-confederate-flags-on-unc-chapel-hill-campus/16908065/
http://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/orange-county/article169564962.html
