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Judge rejects effort to block Confederate statue's removal

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A judge has rejected a last-ditch effort to block the removal of a monument to a Confederate general in New Orleans.

At issue before state Judge Kern Reese on Wednesday was whether the city owns the monument honoring Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard. The statue is located at the entrance to New Orleans City Park. Those who don't want it removed argued that it belongs to a park board, and therefore the city has no authority to remove it.

The statue is one of three monuments to Confederate leaders slated for removal in New Orleans. A fourth, the Liberty Place monument, was removed in the dead of night without advance notice last month due to threats of violence.

That monument honored a rebellion by whites who battled a biracial Reconstruction-era government in New Orleans.

Protesters calling for the removal and the preservation of Confederate-era monuments face off in dueling demonstrations, Sunday, May 7, 2017, in New Orleans. Local media reported protesters from both sides showed up at a memorial honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Sunday. The statue is one of three memorials to Confederate-era figures the city plans to take down. Another memorial has already been removed. (Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP) The Associated Press
Protesters calling for the removal and the preservation of Confederate-era monuments face off in dueling demonstrations, Sunday, May 7, 2017, in New Orleans. Local media reported protesters from both sides showed up at a memorial honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Sunday. The statue is one of three memorials to Confederate-era figures the city plans to take down. Another memorial has already been removed. (Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP) The Associated Press
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