FACT CHECK: Was A Statue Of Robert E. Lee Replaced By A Statue Of A Beast?

Joseph Casieri | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on social media purports that a statue of Robert E. Lee was replaced by a statue of a beast in New Orleans.

Verdict: False

The statue is near the site previously occupied by the Robert E. Lee memorial, but was there before its removal and did not replace it.

Fact Check:

A gunman opened fire in New Orleans’ Mid-City and hit eight people, one of which later died, according to Fox 8 Live. Several, including the victim who died, tried to flee the area, but flipped their car, the outlet reported.

A post shared on Facebook purports a new statue of a beast replaced a Robert E. Lee monument in New Orleans. The image shows a lewd creature with horns on its head and an eye on its torso.

The caption reads, “They replaced the Robert E. Lee statue in New Orleans with… this. This is diabolical.”

The claim is inaccurate. The statue in the post is found in a nearby plot and has been there since 2007, according to Waymarking.com, a site dedicated to “unique and interesting locations.”

There was a temporary installation put in place of Lee’s memorial, but it was soon taken down, according to ART News. The artist is Simone Leigh, who was inspired by a water deity and Zulu culture, the outlet reported.

The memorial for Lee was removed with a crane from the circle in 2017, CBS News reported. The name of the circle was also changed to Harmony Circle in 2022, according to WWL. (RELATED: Did 5 University Of Texas Students Lose Scholarships For Kneeling During Anthem?)

This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim that an image shows Kamala Harris’s Communist Party membership card.

Joseph Casieri

Fact Check Reporter

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