Birmingham Mayor William Bell, on Tuesday afternoon, ordered the Confederate monument at Linn Park covered while legal options to remove it are being considered.

This move comes just hours after Birmingham City Council President Johnathan Austin, earlier on Tuesday, asked Bell to defy Alabama law and remove Confederate monuments from city parks.

"We need to take them down," he told the mayor during the city council's weekly meeting. "We will deal with the repercussions after that."

The monuments are "offensive to our citizens," Austin said.

The monument was temporarily covered in plastic this afternoon. The plastic was later removed. Around 9 p.m., city crews arrived at the park to replace the covering with plywood.

Austin readdressed the controversial issue days after a woman was killed and more than 19 people were injured Saturday when an Ohio man drove a car through a crowd of people in Charlottesville, Va. protesting neo-Nazis and white nationalists. The violent protests stemmed from that city's efforts to remove a Confederate monument.

The deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville has renewed calls around the nation for the removal of Confederate statues, according to the Associated Press. In some cases the statues have been removed by protesters, such as in Durham North Carolina and in other cities or states politicians are calling for the monument removals, such as in Baltimore and San Antonio, the AP reports.

Workers covered the monument. (Contributed)

Austin issued this statement after learning of Bell's order:

"Thanks to Mayor Bell for coming around to understand the pain caused by the continued presence of these monuments. I appreciate his commitment to upholding the laws.

"However, more than 50 years ago in a cell just a few blocks from where we sit today, Dr. (Martin Luther) King (Jr.) instructed us on the importance of identifying and defying unjust laws. In a letter from the Birmingham jail, he advised us, 'Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.' There is nothing more degrading than slavery, or the rejection of the fundamental principle that all men are created equal. The so-called 'lost cause' of the Confederacy degraded African Americans and any celebration of that gives life to that cause. I call on Mayor Bell to reject the degradation of the citizens he was elected to serve. Mr. Mayor, tear down those statues."

Two years ago, the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board unanimously approved a resolution to ask city attorneys to research the removal of the 112-year-old monument to Confederate veterans at Birmingham's Linn Park.

Save Our South, a nonprofit organization that aims to "preserve history and provide a voice for Southerners," filed a lawsuit to prevent the removal.

During Tuesday's city council meeting, Bell said he is looking to challenge state law prohibiting local governments from moving historical monuments on public property.

Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill into law in May. Breaking the law could result in a $25,000 fine.

Within a short time of Austin's suggestion on Tuesday a Gofundme account was established by a group called "People of Birmingham" with a goal of $25,000 to pay the state fine for the removal of the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Birmingham Alabama's Linn Park. As of early afternoon, $180 had been raised.

Bell said the monument at Linn Park was put there with private funds.

But, the mayor said he wouldn't break the law and remove it.

"I am not in the business to break the law, I am charged to protect," he said, but adding that he will challenge the law.

Bell told Austin that he and the rest of the city council could "disregard the law just as well and go and take it down."

During Tuesday's meeting, Austin gave Bell a few options to consider in the removal of the monument. He said order the removal immediately, or ask the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Department to remove it.

He said the mayor could also ask for legal advice from the city law department. No matter their answer, Austin said Bell should remove the monument and deal with the repercussions later.

Austin also suggested Bell could submit an application to the state and ask permission to remove the monument.

"If they say no, we still take them down," he said.

The 52-foot memorial at Linn Park was commissioned by the Pelham Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and dedicated in 1905.