Three charged in connection with toppling of Confederate statue on UNC campus

Three people have been charged with misdemeanor rioting and defacing a public monument related to the toppling of a Confederate statue on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.

A spokesman for the university’s police force said in a statement to the New York Times that the three individuals, who were not named, have no affiliation with the university and have not yet been arrested.

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Earlier this week, protesters toppled the controversial “Silent Sam” monument, which was erected in 1913 to honor students who fought for the Confederacy. The monument was unveiled with support from the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

The university has been investigating the incident, and said that it is possible more arrests will be made.

A member of the university’s board, citing state law on monuments and memorials, called for the statue to be reinstalled on campus within 90 days.

UNC Chancellor Carol Folt has said that the statue, which has been defaced multiple times in recent months, is detrimental to the university but cannot be moved due to a 2015 state law protecting monuments, The News & Observer reported.