Sign Taped on Robert E. Lee Statue Calls Him a Racist

January 16, 2012

In an anonymous email to CBS19, a protester says he hung a sign on the statue of Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville to make a political statement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The sign, which first appeared Monday morning taped to the statue in Lee Park, read "Robert E. Lee was a racist and the KKK had his back!" It was quickly removed.

In the email, the apparent culprit said Virginia is wrong to celebrate Lee-Jackson Day, for the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, because the Civil War generals fought on the side of slavery. Lee-Jackson Day was celebrated on Friday, Jan. 13.

The email also contained indication the Robert E. Lee sign is linked to another political sign that appeared on the Downtown Mall last week. The banner read: "Can't Erase Us, Must Face Us".

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