Groups clash over removal of New Orleans Confederate monuments

NEW ORLEANS — A day of tense protests culminated Sunday as both sides of the debate over removal of Confederate monuments here gathered at the monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The day began as Take Em Down NOLA, an anti-monument group, traveled through the streets of the city. 

The protests come as the city plans to remove three remaining Confederate monuments — to Lee, Confederate Gen. P.G.T Beauregard and Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis. Take Em Down NOLA said the statues are symbols of white supremacy.

More:New Orleans begins removing Confederate monuments

“The fight that we’re waging is against the city fathers of this city who have refused to bring about genuine equality and freedom for the black people here,” said Malcom Suber with Take Em Down NOLA.

Others gathered at Congo Square agreed.

“It’s very important to stop in its track this long legacy of racism that came out of slavery,” said Candace Wolf. “It’s very important to stand up to it because there are people who don’t want it to die.”

The group of hundreds made their way through the French Quarter and Central Business District, finally arriving at Lee Circle. There, they came face-to-face with several groups protesting the removal of the monuments. 

“It’s a part of a cultural heritage and we want it to stay,” said Michael Hill, president of the League of the South. “We understand that most of us will only be here for a day but it’s a symbolic gesture of standing up for what we believe in.”

Some came dressed in helmets, tactical gear, and holding shields appearing ready for battle, but with a large police presence, they instead fought with words.

“We will not allow leftist militant activist organizations to go to these kinds of events and hinder our constitutional right to free speech and assembly and we will not allow these militant groups to essentially decide what laws they deem allowable,” said Mike Tokes from Los Angeles.

New Orleans police put the number of demonstrators at about 700 and said they arrested three people involved in a scuffle near Lee Circle early in the afternoon. But the demonstrations were largely peaceful.

The city has not released a timeline for the removal of the remaining monuments, citing safety and threats. However, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has previously stated they will come down "sooner than later."

The first monument, honoring the Battle of Liberty Place in New Orleans, was removed April 24 under the cover of darkness. 

At the time, Landrieu said memorials were coming down during the early hours of the morning because of death threats and intimidation from some of those who want the monuments to stay and to minimize city disruption.

The majority black City Council in 2015 voted 6-1 to approve plans to take the statues down, but legal battles over their fate have prevented the removal until now, said Landrieu, who proposed the monuments' removal and rode to victory twice with overwhelming support from the city's black residents.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Wynton Yates on Twitter: @WyntonYates