US slavery statue removed

MARYLAND: Authorities here have removed a statue of a 19th century chief justice who wrote the pro- slavery Dred Scott decision in the latest example of action over memorials that have sparked protests across the US.

Crews in state capital Annapolis hitched straps overnight to the 145-year-old bronze statue outside State House and lifted it from its base with a crane, according to media reports and social media postings.

“While we cannot hide from our history – nor should we – the time has come to make clear the difference between properly acknowledging our past and glorifying the darkest chapters of our history,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said.

Chief Justice Roger Taney’s landmark 1857 decision said: “The negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit.” Legal scholars say it is one of the worst decisions in the Supreme Court’s history.

Authorities and protesters have since last Saturday removed monuments in several US cities to the Civil War Confederacy of states that held slaves, arguing they are inappropriate and offensive.

One person died and others were injured in Charlottesville, Virginia, last Saturday when a car ploughed into people protesting a demonstration by hundreds of white supremacists who opposed the removal of a monument. – Reuters