In the wake of George Floyd’s deaths, public officials are moving to remove statues of Confederate leaders.
And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s name should be taken off of “everything in American.”
“Nothing should be named after Robert E. Lee at this point in history,” de Blasio said during his press conference on Thursday.
He continued, “He was someone who was supposed to follow his oath to the United States of America and the U.S. military and didn’t, on top of his many other sins.”
“His name should be taken off everything in America, period,” de Blasio added.
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Additionally, de Blasio called on Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn to rename a street that was named after Lee.
“Anything named after him has to go in this city,” he said.
His comments come as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on lawmakers to “immediately take steps” to remove Confederate statues in the Capitol, as IJR reported.
Additionally, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced that the state would take down a statue of Lee in Richmond. However, a Virginia judge issued an injunction to stop the removal of the statue.Â
While the removal of the statue of Lee has been put on hold, protesters ripped down a statue of Christopher Columbus in Richmond and set it on fire then threw it into a lake, as IJR reported.Â
While several Columbus statues have been defaced or torn down in recent days, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) says he does not support the removal of the statue of Columbus in New York City, as IJR reported.
“I understand the feelings about Christopher Columbus and some of his acts, which nobody would support,” Cuomo said.
He added, “But the statue has come to represent and signify appreciation of the Italian-American contribution to New York. For that reason, I support it.”
