Charlottesville to melt down bronze statue of Robert E. Lee for new art installation

The city of Charlottesville, VA will be melting down the Robert E. Lee statue that was the focal point of the deadly ‘Unite the Right’ rally in 2017.

The City Council has approved a plan to melt down the 1,100-pound bronze statue and use the metal for a new pice of art, as part of the “Swords into Plowshares” project.

The statue was taken down in 2021, four years after the rally that saw one person killed and 19 injured when a man drove his car into a crowd of protesters.

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