Statue of General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The peaceful city of Charlottesville in Virginia, USA just witnessed a terrible storm when a march to protect a monument in the center turned into a car crash and clash that left one woman dead and dozens injured.

The focus of the storm is the statue of General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederacy during the 19th century American Civil War. The statue depicts the image of General Lee wearing military uniform, riding on a war horse.

This nearly 8 meter high statue was crafted by Henry Merwin Shrady, a sculptor in New York, and later completed by Italian artist Leo Lentelli.

The statue has stood in Charlottesville for nearly 100 years, but in recent years, more and more residents and city officials have called for its removal, saying it is a symbol of `white supremacy.`

Eliminating the legacy of `white supremacy` is an increasingly popular trend in America.

In New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu recently ordered the removal of three monuments related to the Confederacy and white supremacy.

During the 2012 Virginia Book Festival, Ms. Kristin Szakos, a member of the Charlottesville City Council, sparked a wave of fierce controversy when she suggested the removal of the statue of General Lee.

The public reaction in Charlottesville hit Ms. Szakos quickly, with calls and emails filled with threats.

Ms. Szakos’ comments came just a month after 17-year-old black man Trayvon Martin was shot dead in Florida, sparking a wave of Black Lives Matter protests, demanding equal rights for people of color.

By 2015, debates over Confederate flags and monuments began to heat up in southern US states, including South Carolina, Texas and Louisiana.

Those who want to protect the monument believe that General Lee is a hero because he decided to surrender to end the scene of fratricide, as well as `promote national harmony when he realized defeat`.

This argument is opposed by many people, arguing that the image of General Lee wearing a military uniform and riding a war horse is not a symbol of peace or national harmony, but is only a trace of a movement and ideology that considers

`The white nationalists in Charlottesville understood this very well. They knew General Lee was worshiped not for creating peace, but because he protected a society built on white

A member of the supremacist nationalist movement attacks a supporter of removing the statue of General Lee.

In 2016, Wes Bellamy, a Charlottesville councilman, and a city deputy mayor launched a new campaign to seek the removal of the General Lee monument.

`When I see so many people here wanting to fix something they’ve thought needs to be done for a long time, I feel motivated,` he told the crowd.

Also in March, high school student Zyahna Bryant submitted a petition to the City Council, asking to remove the statue of General Lee.

After being established by the City Council in May 2016, the special committee issued a report recommending that the government move the General Lee statue to another location or edit it along with `adding key historical information`.

But in February, the City Council voted unanimously to move the statue of General Lee out of central park.

While waiting for the court to process the lawsuit, the statue remained in place, but the city government changed the name of Lee Park, where the statue is located, to Liberation Park.

Riot police stand guard around the General Lee monument.

The protest to protest the decision to remove the statue of General Lee on August 12 was organized by Jason Kessler, a new member of the white nationalist movement but already quite famous in Charlottesville.

The fate of the statue of General Lee in Charlottesville depends on the court’s decision, but the tragedy that took place in this town over the weekend is one of the bloodiest incidents in the fight to remove and protect heritage.