Charlottesville Mayor Calls on State Assembly to Remove Confederate Statues

Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer in a statement on Friday called for an emergency meeting of the Virginia State Assembly to vote for the removal Confederate statues from the city.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The call comes mere days after the white supremacists' rally against a removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee turned violent over the weekend, leaving one person dead and 19 others injured.

"With the terrorist attack, these monuments were transformed from equestrian statues into lightning rods," Signer said in a statement. "And so, for the sake of public safety… I am calling today for the removal of these Confederate statues from downtown Charlottesville."

The comment indicates a reversal from Signer's initial position that, though Confederacy should not be commemorated, the removal of the monuments would amount to erasing history.

In addition to statues' removal, Signer asked for city leaders to figure out ways to memorialize Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old counter-protester who was killed at the rally.

In wake of the protest, statues of Confederate generals have been removed in numerous cities and states around the United States.