8 arrested in protest over toppled Confederate statue at UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – Eight people have been arrested following another protest over the toppling of a Confederate monument at the University of North Carolina.

The university confirmed the Saturday evening arrests in a statement. Officials did not immediately release further details. The memorial known as “Silent Sam” was toppled Aug. 20 by protesters who called it a symbol of racist heritage.

The News & Observer reports that about 100 anti-Silent Sam protesters gathered Saturday on the Chapel Hill campus for a “Nazis Suck Potluck and Food Drive.” Nearby, about a dozen people holding Confederate flags held a vigil in a sectioned-off area near where the statue had stood.

After both groups began yelling at each other, the Silent Sam supporters were escorted away and someone appeared to throw a smoke bomb at them. Some officers used the handlebars of their bicycles to push the Silent Sam protesters back.

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