North Carolina governor wants Confederate monuments removed
DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina’s governor said Tuesday that he wants to bring down Confederate monuments around the state, thrusting himself into a debate stoked by violence in Virginia and the toppling of a statue in his own state.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s call to remove the monuments from public property came as a sheriff began arresting people responsible for tearing down a nearly century-old Confederate statue in Durham on Monday night.
North Carolina is among three states with the most Confederate monuments, but the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a law in 2015 preventing their removal without legislative approval. Cooper is likely to face an uphill battle against legislative leaders, who hold veto-proof majorities.
“We cannot continue to glorify a war against the United States of America fought in the defence of slavery,” Cooper said in a statement. “These monuments should come down.”