Seven people were reportedly arrested Saturday during protests over the toppling of a Confederate monument known as "Silent Sam" on the campus of the University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill earlier this week.
The News and Observer reported clashes between people carrying Confederate flags gathered at the school's McCorkle Place, where the statue originally stood on a pedestal near the campus' main entrance, and a larger group there in support of the statue's Monday night teardown, according to the report.
Three people were arrested for assault Saturday, while two others were arrested for assault, destruction of property and inciting a riot; one for destruction of property; and another for resisting an officer, the report states.
The statue of a Confederate soldier was erected in 1913 and was reportedly pulled down by rope Monday, for which three people have already been arrested.
“That Confederate monument has been a flashpoint and a divisive symbol for decades, and especially since Charlottesville, has been the focus of increasing frustration, anxiety and pain for people,” Chancellor Carol Folt said Thursday, according to the report.
Folt also said the statue's destruction was unlawful destruction of state property and the university will hold accountable those responsible, the report states.
UNC Board of Governors member Thom Goolsby cited state law in a YouTube video released Thursday, saying the monument will return to campus within 90 days, calling those responsible for the Monday incident "a violent mob" and "rogue individuals."
"We will not allow anarchy to reign on our campus," he said. "We will do all we can to see the rule of law is enforced."
