CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - A Virginia judge has ruled that Charlottesville’s Confederate statues are war monuments protected by state law. Judge Richard Moore’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed against Charlottesville City Council members who voted in 2017 to remove a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee. In this Aug. 6, 2018, file photo, a visitor eats lunch in front of a statue of Robert E. Lee that is surrounded by fencing and a No Trespassing sign in Charlottesville, Va. A Virginia judge has ruled that Charlottesville‚Äôs Confederate statues are war monuments protected by state law. Virginia law makes it illegal for local municipalities to remove war monuments without permission from the state. Moore acknowledged the controversy that has surrounded Confederate statues in recent years, and said his ruling is limited to the question of whether the Lee and Jackson statues in Charlottesville fall under the definition of war memorials in Virginia law.

Source: thestar April 30, 2019 19:58 UTC