A Charleston statue spray-painted with the words Black Lives Matter also makes the point that memories of the Confederacy are allegedly the issue which caused Dylann Storm Roof to attack a church. But the Charleston shooter has apparently been quite open that he wanted to start a race war with his actions, so it is possible that attacking Confederate statues may only raise tensions in America.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, Confederate flag license plates have been outlawed in Texas, and a Jefferson Davis statue was attacked due to its “ties to slavery” in the United States.

Before someone had the Charleston statue spray-painted, a friend of Dylann Roof, Joseph Meek, said that in the months before the Charleston shooting he was a witness to a rant about segregation and killing people. Roof allegedly said that black people were taking over the world and claimed he needed to do something for the white race.

“He said he was planning for about six months to do something crazy,” said Meek. “He wanted it to be segregated. He wanted it to be white with the white, black with the black. All the races segregated. He wanted to do something big, like the Trayvon Martin case. He was upset about it. It made him mad.”

During the Charleston shooting, Roof allegedly told a survivor that he was killing black people because “[y]ou rape our women and are taking over our country.” Thus, it is believed that Roof intended to ignite a race war in America with his actions by aggravating the Black Lives Matter movement.

Within days of the shooting, the incident had already become political, with some making it about gun control while others focused on the issues of race. Now, a movement has started against any memory of the U.S. Confederacy and the civil war, with some calling for the Confederate flag to be pulled down from South Carolina.

Days after the shooting, members of the Black Lives Matter movement apparently had a Charleston statue spray-painted with their name. The statue was a memorial for the Confederate soldiers who defended Charleston during the Civil War, and bright red paint left the clear message, “This is the problem. #Racist.”

After discovering that some had the Charleston statue spray-painted, police spokesman Charles Francis said city workers covered the graffiti with a tarp, although the figures on top were left open. According to the Associated Press, police are currently investigating who left the message.

Pics of graffiti at Confederate statue at #chs Battery courtesy Rachel Alameda+ Michael Collins @ABCNews4 #chsnews pic.twitter.com/qxE9Ue5iFz — Jason Tighe (@jtighe08) June 21, 2015

Confederate memorials have only become more controversial as time has passed, but various historical groups have begun making more of them as time has passed. The Sons of Confederate Veterans believes their efforts are not racist or offensive, and they believe the statues honor the nation’s diversity.

“I don’t think we’re trying to put up stuff just to put up stuff,” said Marshall Davis, spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Texas. “We don’t want to impede anyone else from honoring their heroes. We would like to honor our heroes with the same consideration, tolerance, and diversity.”

[Image via Mike Lynaugh]