AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas is being sued for removing four Confederate statues from the main area of campus in Austin.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans filed the lawsuit Wednesday, three days after the statues were quickly taken down following a late-night order from University President Greg Fenves.
Three of the statues are of Confederate Postmaster John H. Reagan, and Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston. The fourth is of former governor James Stephen Hogg, who was the son of a Confederate veteran.
Fenves said while the university aims to preserve and study history, it must also acknowledge when history runs counter to the university’s core values.
“Erected during the period of Jim Crow laws and segregation, the statues represent the subjugation of African-Americans. That remains true today for white supremacists who use them to symbolize hatred and bigotry,” Fenves said.
The removals followed the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The school said the three statues of Confederate military and political leaders will be moved to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Hogg’s statute may be re-installed at a different campus location, Fenves said.
