We have these protests on both sides of the issue from time to time. — A large group of armed protesters on Saturday marched through Georgia's Stone Mountain Park, calling for the park's massive Confederate … HUNDREDS of heavily armed protesters brandishing rifles marched through a state park, calling for a massive Confederate carving to be removed.
We’re in your house. (Reuters) - A predominantly Black group of heavily armed protesters marched through Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta on Saturday, calling for … Advertisement - story continues below
The event at Stone Mountain is only one of a number of demonstrations scheduled for the Fourth of July in and around metro Atlanta. Where ... you at?
The Stone Mountain memorial opened on the 4th of July weekend following the COVID-19 pandemic. Klansmen still hold occasional gatherings in the shadows of the edifice, albeit now met with protesters behind police tape. RELATED: July 4th: A day of liberty, a day of protest Although African Americans appeared to account for the vast majority of the marchers, protesters of various races, men and women alike, were among the group.John Bankhead, a spokesman for the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, said the protesters were peaceful and orderly.Video footage of the Independence Day rally posted on social media showed scores of demonstrators dressed in black - many in paramilitary-style clothing and all wearing face scarves - quietly parading several abreast down a sidewalk at the park.“We understand the sensitivities of the issue here at the park ... so we respect that and allow them to come in as long as it’s peaceful, which it has been.”Reporting by Steve Gorman in Eureka, California; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Daniel WallisStone Mountain, which reopened for the holiday weekend following a weeks-long closure over the coronavirus, has faced renewed calls for its removal since the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police.Floyd’s killing helped revive a long-simmering conflict between groups seeking to do away with Confederate statues and sculptures, which they see as pro-slavery symbols, and those who believe they honor the traditions and history of the Deep South.Stone Mountain has long held symbolism for white supremacists.