Silent Sam Confederate flag controversy at Chapel Hill

Supporters and opponents of the statue of Silent Sam clashed Saturday afternoon on the UNC campus, fighting over the base where the confederate monument was overthrown last month.

There was a strong police presence in the area and several people from the anti-Silent Sam group appeared to have been arrested. The police then shouted at the group to disperse shortly before 7 pm

About an hour and a half earlier, a dozen men and women holding Confederate flags gathered for a vigil in an isolated area near where Silent Sam was standing on McCorkle Square. They were outnumbered by about 100 anti-Silent Sam protesters gathered nearby for what they called a "Nazi hunt and food".

Police escorted Silent Sam's supporters into the barricaded area, while counter-protesters chanted "Nat Turner, John Brown, the anti-racists who rule this city!" And "(Explicit) your flag!" And prayed, then started shouting at the counter-protesters.

Things were tense between the two sides. While police began to remove Silent Sam's supporters from the area, someone launched a smoke bomb.

Subsequently, counter-protesters began shouting at the police. Some agents used the handlebars of their bikes to repel the crowd.

Opponents of Silent Sam brought canned food to donate. The police, fearing that the cans could not be thrown during the demonstration, collected them in recycling bins. They said that they would later give them back to the students.

This led to disagreements between the police and anti-Silent Sam demonstrators. "I do not know why you were told to steal cans from students," a police officer was quoted as saying.

Silent Sam was shot on the night of August 20 during a protest rally at the UNC. Protesters on both sides of the issue clashed on campus, resulting in numerous arrests.

Also on August 30, a night demonstration on the UNC campus between the two camps took place. Additional arrests took place.

Chancellor of the UNC, Carol Folt, says she wants to find a new home on campus so that the statue can situate it in the proper historical context.

"Silent Sam has a place in our history and on our campus where his story can be taught, but not at the door of a proud and welcoming public research university," wrote Folt last month. "We want to give our students and the wider community opportunities to reflect on this story and learn from it. Wide consultation and listening on campus and beyond are necessary if we want to move towards peace and healing. "

Campus leaders have until November 15 to develop a plan that will be presented to the UNC's Board of Governors. This leaves only 10 weeks to study the possible relocation of the Confederate monument, including the feasibility of spaces to consider. Folt said this would involve engineering, safety, cost and educational use issues.

A group of African-American teachers said the spilled statue did not belong anywhere in the UNC. A statement signed this week by 56 professors said: "Reinstalling the confederate monument at any location on the UNC campus, is to announce the nation and the world that the UNC is not a welcoming place for blacks.