The removal of confederate statues nationwide continues to take place. A monument of Gen. Robert E. Lee at Duke University was taken down early Saturday, days after it had been vandalized.
According to a letter written by the university president Vincent Price, the decision was made after consultations with the school’s students, alumni and staff. Officials discovered Thursday that the statue’s face had been vandalized.
“I took this course of action to protect Duke Chapel, to ensure the vital safety of students and community members who worship there, and above all to express the deep and abiding values of our university,” Price said in a post on the school’s website Saturday.
The monument was located at the Duke Chapel alongside nine other historical figures, the Associated Press reports. The school will relocated the statue to a different location, Price said.
The planned removal of a statue of Lee in Charlottesville was why white nationalists chose to descend on the university town last weekend. Other towns and cities, like Baltimore, have chosen to take down or cover their confederate statues since the violent clashes in Charlottesville.