Angry protesters calling for racial equality have torn down statues of Christopher Columbus in powerful acts of defiance. Reports of two separate incidents taking place emerged this week as tensions continue to rise amid protests and riots sweeping the nation in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
A monument in Virginia's Byrd Park was pulled down, set on fire then rolled into a lake on Tuesday by protesters calling for symbols of racial oppression to go, Daily Mail reported. They then spray-painted "Columbus Represents Genocide" on the pedestal of the monument.
Columbus has been associated with violence and racism to Native Americans after his arrival in America in 1492 sparked European colonization. Activists addressing the crowd at the park acknowledged this in their speeches.
"We have to start where it all began," said Chelsea Higgs-Wise, who was part of the protest action. "We have to start with the people who stood first on this land."
Another protester, Joseph Rogers, said racism had impacted both African Americans and Native Americans and declared the area "Powhatan land."
Ronald Johnson, who had participated in five marches over 12 days, told The Washington Post that a "massive cheer" erupted when the statue was torn down.
"I’m not going to say I approve, but I’m not going to say I disapprove either," he said.
A Christopher Columbus statue in Boston's North End was also vandalized on Tuesday evening when an unidentified perpetrator tore down the head of the monument. Fragments were later discovered nearby.
The incidents come days after demonstrators toppled the statue of Gen. Williams Carter Wickham, which has stood since 1891 in Virginia's Monroe Park.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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