DEMONSTRATORS forcibly removed a statue of Confederate former US president Jefferson Davis from Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia – just hours after Donald Trump said his administration will “not even consider” changing the names of any of the 10 US Army bases named after Confederate Army officers.

Local media reported the statue of Davis was left on the ground in the middle of an intersection, while 80 miles away in Portsmouth a marching band played as a crowd beheaded then pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument.

On Monday, defence secretary Mark Esper indicated he was open to discussing such changes. Trump tweeted: “These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom.

“The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.”

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Name changes have not been proposed by the army or the Pentagon, but Esper and army secretary Ryan McCarthy on Monday told reported reporters that they were “open to a bipartisan discussion” of renaming bases such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Georgia’s Fort Benning.

Supporters of disassociating military bases from Confederate Army officers argue they represent the racism and divisiveness of the Civil War era and glorify men who fought against the United States.

Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, read his tweets to reporters in the White House briefing room, adding he is “fervently” opposed to changing the base names and believes that doing so would amount to “complete disrespect” for soldiers who trained there over the years.

Meanwhile, the president’s most significant foe in Congress called for Confederate statues to be removed from the streets of Washington. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to a House-Senate committee with jurisdiction over the topic that such monuments “pay homage to hate, not heritage”. Pelosi is urging the little-known Joint Committee on the Library to vote to remove the 11 statues.

On Wednesday, Floyd’s brother challenged Congress to ensure George would not be just “another name” on a growing list of those killed during interactions with police. Philonise Floyd told a House hearing: “I’m here today to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain,” Floyd told the silenced hearing room.

Choking back tears, he said he wants to make sure his brother is “more than another face on a T-shirt, another name on a list that won’t stop growing”. He directly challenged politicians to step up, saying: “The people marching in the streets are telling you enough is enough. Be the leaders that this country, this world, needs. Do the right thing.”