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Protesters have been accused of defacing a Confederate statue in Charleston, South Carolina, reports the Huffington Post.

The tagging was discovered over the weekend when Emanuel AME Church held its first service since the shooting massacre that took the lives of nine church members last Wednesday.

A few monuments were covered with messages like “Black Lives Matter” and “This is the problem #racist.” Since last week, the outcry from the massacre has left many excluding race from the conversation, despite shooter Dylann Roof telling police he deliberately gunned down African-Americans to “start a race war.”

One of the monuments defaced was the “To the Confederate Defenders of Charleston – Fort Sumter,” a gift from the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1932.

Police are currently investigating the incident. Via HuffPo:

Police spokesman Charles Francis said city workers used a tarp to cover up the graffiti marking the stone pedestal beneath the statue. He said he didn’t know when the graffiti was spray-painted there, but said it would be cleaned off.

The Confederate flag has also come under fire since the shooting. Politicians have been divided on the city’s decision to leave the flag flying. Presidential candidate Lindsey Graham is in favor of leaving the flag up, while former presidential contender Mitt Romney has demanded it be taken down.

In just a matter of days, a MoveOn petition has echoed Romney’s demands, amassing over 500,000 signatures.

SOURCE: Huffington Post | VIDEO CREDIT: NDN


Watch Roland Martin and theNewsOne Now panel discuss the protesters alleged defacing the”To the Confederate Defenders of Charleston – Fort Sumter” statue and the burning of the Confederate flag in the video clip below.

Be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, weekdays at 9 a.m. EST on TV One.


SEE ALSO: 

South Carolina Supreme Court Orders New Judge In AME Shooting After Racist Comments Revealed

Opinion: The Mainstream Media Is Showing Its Bias In The Charleston Massacre Coverage