Many American cities and states removed statues of Confederate soldiers and officers during the George Floyd protests. Sometimes the protesters pulled the statues down and sometimes the city councils decided to remove them. On June 5, the United States Marine Corps announced they would not allow Confederate flags at their bases. The Confederates were the pro-slavery side of the American Civil War in the 1800s. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Confederate statues and flags support white supremacy. Protesters also damaged or pulled down statues of Christopher Columbus in at least seven cities, including Miami, Boston, Baltimore, Maryland, Richmond, Virginia and Columbus, Ohio. 