PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's governor says taking down statues of Confederate figures is "just like" removing a monument to people who died in the 9/11 attacks.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage made the comments during an appearance Thursday morning on WGAN-AM when asked for his reaction to the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend.

LePage says he condemns "both sides" that demonstrated. He says he finds white nationalist and far-left protesters "equally as bad" and "disgusting."

LePage says left-wing protesters who want to remove Confederate statues are ignorant of history and want to erase it. He compares them to "the Taliban in Afghanistan" in their desire to remove monuments.

LePage says he didn't find out about the violence until Tuesday because he doesn't watch TV or read newspapers.