Judge Allows Removal of Confederate Memorial at Arlington Cemetery to Proceed
New York TimesDec 30, 2023
Judge Allows Removal of Confederate Memorial at Arlington Cemetery
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Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Facts
US District Judge Rossie Alston issued an 18-page opinion on Tuesday allowing the Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) to remove a century-old Confederate memorial, thereby lifting a temporary injunction decision that he granted on Monday to block the move.
Alston had previously halted the removal process due to claims that contractors were desecrating and disturbing nearby gravesites. His ruling came following a tour to the cemetery, where he reportedly saw "no desecration of any kind."
The Spin
Left narrative
This monument presents a sanitized depiction of slavery that isn’t just historically inaccurate but also hurtful to marginalized communities in the US. The hateful message it sends outweighs the memorial’s historical value — it must be torn down along with other Confederate symbols that have been identified by Congress.
Right narrative
The country has healed since the Civil War, and this monument is a tribute to the fact that the US has made progress. But the left seems determined to keep relitigating slavery and the war by virtue signaling and, in some cases, rewriting history. The left should look to the future instead of the past.
