JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Two Confederate monuments in a Florida city were defaced with red spray paint in one night.
The Florida Times-Union reports that officials discovered the vandalism Wednesday at a 63-foot (19-meter) granite monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers in Jacksonville’s Hemming Park and a statue dedicated to women of the Confederacy in Confederate Park.
Vandals struck two of Jacksonville's Confederate monuments early today. See more photos at https://t.co/LcytH89E2W pic.twitter.com/arC0EO39Sd
— Florida Times-Union (@jaxdotcom) September 6, 2017
The vandalism follows months of debate between local groups over whether the city should remove the Hemming Park monument, which sits on the doorsteps of City Hall in downtown.
Similar fights are erupting around the country. A renewed interest in removing the symbols comes after violent clashes at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, left one person dead and scores injured last month.
