Call for the removal of symbols representing the confederacy has heightened racial tensions in USA.
What is the Confederacy?
USA was historically the destination market for slaves brought from Africa.
The economy of the southern states of US was mainly based on cotton cultivation & plantations and depended heavily on slave labour.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 on an agenda to abolish slavery, the southern states rebelled.
The confederacy of American states was founded in 1861, consisting of the eleven south states that seceded from the union.
This marked the beginning of the civil war that lasted four years and ended with the reunification of the country.
Though the confederacy officially ceased to exist by 1865, it remained the ideological nucleus for all future white supremacist movements like violent Ku Klux Klan.
What is the recent conflict?
Series of racial attacks on black youth in the US recently, revamped the organisations working for racial equality.
This also gave rise to the anti-confederacy movement that has called for removing all symbols of the confederacy as a means to true reconciliation.
While most see the symbols of the confederacy, such as flags, monuments, statues etc as one of racist oppression, some see them as their historical heritage.
How have the provincial governments reacted?
While some provinces have laws mandating the protection of the symbols of the confederacy, in many, the governors & lawmakers have openly & proudly initiated actions for removing them.
Despite several efforts, around 1500 statues/monuments stand as of today, and hence, the stand-off between the groups could potentially grow ugly.
Some policy makers advocate a middle path, whereby they call for the preservation of the controversial monuments while also simultaneously accommodating symbols of racial equality as a way to subdue tensions.
