The protesters who tore down a Confederate monument in North Carolina could face charges for the vandalism if local investigators are able to figure out their identities.

Durham Sheriff Mike Andrews said that he was relieved nobody was hurt when the protesters wrapped a yellow strap around the Confederate Soldiers monument and pulled it off its pedestal.

“Collectively, we decided that restraint and public safety would be our priority” Mr Andrews said in a statement. “As the sheriff, I am not blind to the offensive conduct of some demonstrators more will I ignore their criminal conduct.”

Videos captured at the scene are being analysed by investigators, he said, to figure out who was responsible for the actions. The sheriff emphasised that “racism and incivility” wouldn’t be allowed to run rampant in his county.

The statue, which is nearly a century old, is called the "Confederate Soldiers Monument". The statue was dedicated in 1924.

Protests were held outside of the Durham County Courthouse to protest racism there just days after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent when a vehicle plowed through a group of counter protesters. A 32-year-old woman was killed by that vehicle, and 19 others were injured.

That rally in Charlottesville was organised to protest the recent decision by city officials to remove a statue honouring Confederate General Robert E Lee. Those officials reasoned that Lee had no real historical connection to the city, and that its continued placement on public grounds in the city was inappropriate.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

The rally quickly fell into chaos, however, and police attempted to disperse crowds soon after the planned start time. Reports of the two sides brawling ran amok, and videos showed white supremacist demonstrators beating up counter protesters. Some demonstrators used tear gas, while others used police batons and other weapons.

Confederate monuments have been a point of contention since at least 2015, when Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white man, entered a historically black church and shot nine black people to death in Charlotte, South Carolina. Investigations into that attack — carried out by Roof in the hopes of sparking a race war — later unveiled pictures of Roof posing with a gun and the Confederate flag.

The flag photos quickly sparked a national debate over why the Confederate flag — which was flown by the Confederate army when the South seceded from the United States in protest of pro-emancipation policies in the North — was still flying on public grounds.

That uproar later led the South Carolina governor at the time, Nikki Haley, to force her legislature to write a law to remove the flag from state grounds. Other states and localities have since followed suit or have considered it, and the topic of monuments has been considered as well.