Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign rally at Legends Event Center in Phoenix, Ariz. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
He said he grew up in Virginia, and that there were heroes in the Confederacy who didn’t have slaves.
"I just have a visceral reaction against destroying history. I don’t like it. I think we should celebrate who we are," Kennedy said. "We should celebrate the good qualities of everybody…If we want to find people who are completely virtuous on every issue throughout history, we would erase all of history."
A part of the discussion centered around Columbus Day, which Kennedy refers to as Indigenous People’s Day.
Workers remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, after years of a legal battle over the contentious monument, in Charlottesville, Va., July 10, 2021. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that once stood in Charlottesville was secretly melted down at a ceremonial event.
After both cultural and legal battles, the statue of Lee that sparked the infamous Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally was reportedly melted in a secretive ceremony in order to ensure the safety of those involved. The Washington Post reported that the statue met its end "in a 2,250-degree furnace" when it was "secretly melted down" to become a new piece of public art.
Footage of Lee’s likeness being melted went viral across social media.
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The "Unite the Right" rally took place in Charlottesville in August 2017, and participants included far-right White supremacist sympathizers upset over the proposed removal of Lee's statue, as well as many counter-protesters.
On Aug. 12, James Fields Jr. deliberately rammed his car into a group of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring dozens.
Fox News Digital's Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
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