Mississippi protesters rally against Confederate monument

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – Dozens of demonstrators gathered in a Mississippi county to call for the removal of a Confederate monument officials have previously refused to relocate. News outlets report that a group of veterans, business leaders and community members gathered near the statue in Oxford on Monday to demand the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors move the monument. The protesters say removing the statue, which sits in a prominent square near the county courthouse, could help bring the community together. But Lafayette supervisors in July voted unanimously against relocation and argued that moving the monument wouldn’t create unity. One demonstrator said Monday that the monument is a symbol of racial violence.

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)