‘It’s a beautiful day for democracy’: Virginia removes Robert E Lee statue from capital

Elated crowd cheered the removal of the bronze monument to Confederate general, erected more than 130 years ago in Richmond

For 131 years it loomed over Richmond, Virginia, once the capital of America's slave-owning south, sending a chilling message about the resilience of white supremacy to generations that passed beneath.

But at 8.55am on Wednesday, daylight reappeared between a giant statue of the Confederate general Robert E Lee and its granite pedestal, now covered with Black Lives Matter graffiti. In warm sunshine the towering sculpture was hoisted by work crews and lowered to the ground amid cheers, songs and whoops from a watching crowd.