Statue at center of Charlottesville protests vandalized, tagged with ‘Impeach Trump’

The Robert E. Lee statue that was at the center of violent far-right protests in Charlottesville, Va., was vandalized and tagged with the message, “Impeach Trump,” during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. 

Charlottesville police are investigating the incident, according to local CBS affiliate WTVR. In addition to “Impeach Trump,” a vandal spray-painted “This is Racist” on the statue. 

Tarps have been placed over the spray-painted messages to block their view and officials reportedly will begin a clean-up effort on Monday. Police suspect that the same person who vandalized the Robert E. Lee statue recently spray-painted a separate Confederate monument in the area, WTVR noted. 

The Charlottesville Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

The statue of Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate States Army amid the Civil War, became a rallying point for far-right protestors during the “Unite the Right” demonstration in 2017. 

The demonstration was rife with clashes between far-right demonstrators and counter-protestors pushing for the statue to be taken down. One woman was killed after a man, James Alex Field Jr., drove his car into a crowd of protesters. Field has since been sentence to life plus 419 years in prison. 

The Robert E. Lee statue has been vandalized several times since the far-right rally. In June, white paint was used to write “F— Trump” on the statue.