A statue of African American tennis great Arthur Ashe displayed in his native Richmond, Virginia, was vandalised on Wednesday.
Amid ongoing nationwide protests against racism and police brutality, photographs showed the base of the statue had been spray-painted with the words “white lives matter” and “WLM” – with the letters “BLM” then spray painted over both.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch said local volunteers were quick to begin work to remove tags on the monument dedicated to the three-time Grand Slam champion, who was the first black player selected to the US Davis Cup team.
*warning a story....so today started off basic enough, and meeting Fatima for coffee and a walk along Monument Ave... normal walk until we hit Arthur Ashe and a guy was tagging white lives matter on the statue.. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/dRqL8L3Yon
— Betsy Milburn (@Reallyjustreal) June 17, 2020
Ashe, who retired in 1980, was a vocal advocate for civil rights and for the rights of HIV/AIDS patients before his death in 1993 of AIDS-related pneumonia.
The statue, dedicated in 1996, is on Richmond’s Monument Avenue, where multiple statues memorializing Confederate figures have been toppled, vandalised or slated for removal during protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer on may 25.
(With inputs from AFP)