North Carolina protesters use strap to pull down Confederate soldier statue

A crowd of protesters toppled a statue of a Confederate soldier near the courthouse in downtown Durham, N.C. on Monday. 

Activists brought a ladder to reach the statue, which authorities had sprayed with oil to make it harder to climb, and used a strap to pull it to the ground, WRAL-TV reported. According to the station, the Confederate Soldiers Monument was dedicated in 1924. 

Video of the incident taken by WNCN-TV shows protesters topple the statue, as a handful of people kick it and others cheer.  

The protest was in response to Saturday's demonstrations and violent actions by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Va., over the planned removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in the city.

In North Carolina, a law signed in 2015 by former Governor Pat McCrory prevents the removal of Confederate monuments and statues in the state, WFMY-TV reported. 

Gov. Roy Cooper responded to the protests in Raleigh Monday on Twitter. 

"The racism and deadly violence in Charlottesville is unacceptable, but there is a better way to remove these monuments. #Durham," Cooper said in a tweet. 

According to WRAL-TV, no arrests were made by Durham Police officers at the scene because the Durham County Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction over the courthouse where the monument stood. 

More coverage: 

Charlottesville aftermath: Protests flare up again across U.S.

Confederate monuments, more than 700 across USA, aren't budging

New Orleans removes Gen. Robert E. Lee statue, its last Confederate-era monument