Charlottesville mayor calls for emergency meeting to remove Robert E. Lee statue
The mayor of Charlottesville has called on the governor to convene an emergency meeting of state lawmakers to allow the city to remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Mike Signer's statement comes nearly a week after white supremacists descended on the city in Virginia for a rally and clashed with counter protesters.
One woman was killed on Saturday when a car ploughed into a crowd of counter protesters.
News media outlets report that Mr Signer said the attack turned the monuments from "equestrian statues into lightning rods".
He said the city must respond "by denying the Nazis and the KKK and the so-called alt-right the twisted totem they seek".
Mr Signer also wants lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow communities to bar people from carrying open or concealed weapons in public events "reasonably deemed to pose a potential security threat".
