US President Donald Trump says he will “not even consider” renaming military bases named for Confederate generals.
He tweeted that the facilities were part of “a Great American heritage”.
Mr Trump’s remarks follow reports that top military officials were open to changes amid nationwide soul-searching after the death of George Floyd.
For many, symbols of the Confederacy – the slaveholding southern states that seceded, prompting the 1861-65 American Civil War – evoke a racist past.
Confederate monuments have been a frequent target for protesters following Floyd’s death.
On Wednesday night a statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, was brought down by protesters in Richmond, Virginia.
Meanwhile, demonstrators in the nearby city of Portsmouth attacked a Confederate monument, tearing down four statues, according to local media reports.
Source:Â bbc.com