US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the statues pay homage to hate, not heritage. (File)
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Wednesday for the US Capitol's removal of 11 statues of Confederate soldiers or officials, the latest anti-racism effort after a black man's death in police custody sparked mass protests.
"Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals" of American democracy and freedom, the top Democrat in Congress wrote to a bipartisan committee.
"Their statues pay homage to hate, not heritage," Pelosi added. "They must be removed."
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