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'They were racists': Confederate monument vandalized in Nashville

The monument to Confederate veterans was splattered with red paint and "they were racists" was written over the names.

Splatters of red paint and the phrase "they were racists" were found Monday on a Confederate monument in Nashville.

The vandalism was found on the Confederate Prive Monument in Centennial Park. The phrase was written in red paint over a plaque with names of more than 500 Confederate soldiers from Tennessee. 

News Channel 5 Nashville said officials aren't sure how long it will take to clean the monument, which was dedicated in 1909.

The Tennessean reports the Confederate monument is one of two in the county, with about 70 more across the state. The Metro Nashville Police Department said there hasn't been a vandalism incident like this in the park in nearly seven years.

Police said they're going to review surveillance video from the park, News Channel 5 said. 

Two years ago, a privately-owned statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, along Interstate 65 was covered in pink paint. The Tennessean said the paint is still there because the owner wants to "draw attention" to the statue.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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