Protesters tore down a statue of a Confederate soldier on the campus of the University of North Carolina on Monday night, reports said.

Demonstrators targeted the “Silent Sam” statue in Chapel Hill and covered it with banners and red paint before pulling it down with a rope at around 9:15 p.m., according to The News and Observer.

The protest was intended to support UNC graduate student Maya Little, who faces potential expulsion after pouring red paint on the statue in April.

Confederate statues have become an issue in places like Tennessee where local governments have struggled with state capitals on whether they have the right to remove the Civil War tributes.

Last year, a Confederate statue was toppled by protesters in Durham, North Carolina. All charges against the suspects were dropped.