Robert E. Lee statue toppled in Montgomery; Confederate statue vandalized in Mobile

A statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was knocked off it's base in Montgomery and a statue of a Confederate soldier in Mobile was vandalized, both around the same time Birmingham city crews were removing a Confederate monument downtown Monday night.

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Four people were charged with criminal mischief in the toppling of the statue in Montgomery, that was in front of a public high school.

A 20-year-old man was arrested for spray painting the statue of Admiral Raphael Semmes in downtown Mobile, although he has not been charged, Mobile police said.

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There has long been a movement to remove Confederate statues and monuments from cities across the nation, as many find them painful reminders of slavery in the United States.

While others say they are history and should be left as reminders.

The latest push for the removal of these kinds of monuments was sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.