Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on Thursday ordered the removal of four Confederate portraits from the walls of the United States Congress, saying their image symbolized " grotesque racism ".
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" There is no place in the venerable halls of Congress or any other place of honor to preserve the memory of men who embody the violent intolerance and grotesque racism of the Confederation, " she wrote, reference to the South American states that fought against the abolition of slavery during the American Civil War (1861-1865).
These tables will be removed from Thursday late afternoon under the supervision of the head of protocol in the House of Representatives, she said later. Nancy Pelosi had originally asked that their dropout coincide with the anniversary, Friday, of the end of slavery in the United States, given this " moment of extraordinary national pain, while we are in mourning for the hundreds of black Americans killed by racial injustices and police brutality ”.
The United States has experienced a historic protest against racism since the death of George Floyd, killed by a white police officer on May 25 in Minneapolis. Since then, Confederate monuments have been brought down, statues of Christopher Columbus beheaded and even the film " Gone with the Wind " has been sidelined.
Nancy Pelosi had also called on June 10 to remove 11 statues from the Capitol, seat of Congress in Washington, representing soldiers and Confederate officials. A committee of parliamentarians from both parties is still studying this request.
The four portraits to be removed depict 19th century presidents of the House who also served under the Confederate colors: Robert Hunter (Virginia), Howell Cobb (Georgia), James Orr (South Carolina) and Charles Crisp (Georgia) .
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