Man injured as protestors vandalized Confederate monument in Portsmouth, Virginia

The incident comes as national discussion has ensued about Confederate flags, monuments and military installations named after Confederate figures

By Alex Nitzberg

Published: June 10, 2020 10:35pm

Updated: June 11, 2020 8:49am

One person was injured on Wednesday as protestors in Portsmouth, Va., vandalized a Confederate monument.

The structure has been in Portsmouth since the late 1800s, according to 13News Now, which reported that protestors decapitated soldier figures at the monument. Photos show headless statues and the monument defaced with graffiti.

Protestors pulled one of the statues down, according to the Daily Press.

The person who was injured by the statue was transported to the hospital, according to the outlet.

Confederate flags and statues have been thrust to the fore of societal discussion recently following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Floyd, a black man, was pinned to the ground by a white police officer and could be heard in a video saying that he could not breathe.

President Trump on Wednesday weighed in to say that he firmly opposed the idea of renaming Army bases that bear the names of Confederate leaders, an idea which the Army secretary and Secretary of Defense had reportedly been willing to entertain, according to an Army spokesperson.