why pull down columbus statue

Protesters in Richmond, Va., Tuesday night reportedly pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus, spray-painted it, set it on fire and threw it in a lake. These objects can be torn down — and no doubt more will be in the coming days. In the mid-1700s, they were mentioned in history books but as rather peripheral figures, not as heroes.”, Americans seeking an origin story that didn’t involve Great Britain revived Columbus’ legacy during the Revolutionary War, lionizing him to such an extent that he eventually received his own day. Protesters in Minnesota on Wednesday pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus outside the State Capitol amid continuing anger over the police killing of George Floyd. For example, the Alabama city of Birmingham removed a Confederate monument erected in 1905 this week. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. In the UK, a statue of Winston Churchill was defaced with graffiti stating “Churchill was a racist”, following Black Lives Matter protests in London this weekend. Richmond also saw a statue of Italian explorer Columbus pulled down, set alight and thrown into a lake earlier this week,. Protesters in cities around the United States have been tearing down, defacing and otherwise vandalizing statues of Christopher Columbus as an offshoot of the protests over George Floyd's death. Crews were seen taking down the statues in Grant Park and the city's Little Italy neighborhood during the overnight hours. "This is why they put them up in the first place; to affirm the centrality of white supremacy.". Now, their descendants and their supporters do want them gone and some are not willing to wait. "They are a constant reminder of the dehumanisation of African Americans and the pushback against our civil and human rights," the SPLC's Lecia Brooks told the New York Times. Others may simply not want the monuments they have grown up with taken away — despite their controversial history. Moreover, the explorer never even set foot on the North American mainland. For the "freed" black population, the building of monuments to men who sought to keep them in chains would have been anathema. Those behind it have been criticised for defacing public property, but they argue that some US states have made it nearly impossible to remove statues legally. 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Tim Walz said Thursday that he doesn’t condone protesters who tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus at the Minnesota Capitol, but that he understands why they did it. The statue of Confederate General Williams Carter Wickham lies on the ground after protesters pulled it down. Fragments were later discovered nearby. What was happening during these two periods? A small crowd cheered and passing cars honked as the statue came down about 3 a.m. The incidents come days after demonstrators toppled the statue of Gen. Williams Carter Wickham, which has stood since 1891 in Virginia's Monroe Park. ST. PAUL, Minn. — Protesters in Minnesota on Wednesday pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus outside the state Capitol amid continuing anger over the death of George Floyd. When Columbus died in 1506, he was “kind of a forgotten figure, as was John Cabot,” an explorer who also reached North America in the 1490s, University of Bristol historian Evan Jones told Smithsonian in 2015. Protesters have pulled down a statute of Christopher Columbus outside the Minnesota State Capitol. The removal of Columbus statues is part of a growing movement to get rid of monuments deemed racist such as those dedicated to Confederate war heroes … While those publicly identifying as Neo-Nazis and white supremacists will no doubt rail against any moves to topple their Confederate heroes, it's not clear what they might do in reaction. Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures and others. Activists have protested the Roosevelt statue for years. In the recent protests, some used ropes to pull down a statue of Confederate General Williams Carter Wickham that had stood in Richmond's Monroe Park since 1891. Gov. A statue of Columbus was taken down in San Francisco last month because the explorer's actions "do not deserve to be venerated," city officials said, … “The paradigm shift is happening and it was time.”, Theresa Machemer is a freelance writer based in Washington DC. Her work has also appeared in National Geographic and SciShow. … We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Witnesses say around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, protesters used three ropes to pull the Christopher Columbus statue down. “I’m willing to take that,” Forcia tells the Star Tribune. But for many, driven to the streets to demand a new America free of racism, a direct line is seen between the horrors of slavery and the inequalities of today. And, during his four voyages to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America, he enslaved and killed thousands of indigenous people. The second statue was removed about 5:30 a.m. from Arrigo Park in Chicago's Little Italy neighborhood. (Both Cabot and Columbus were Italian, but the former sailed under the British flag, while the latter ventured out on Spain’s behalf.) Get the best of Smithsonian magazine by email. Alabama's Attorney-General Steve Marshall filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging they violated the state's law by not seeking his approval. Protesters surrounded the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park Friday night, spray-painted it and tried to pull it down. Protesters have pulled down a statute of Christopher Columbus outside the Minnesota State Capitol. or More recently, the controversial figure has been touted for his Italian American heritage: On Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would not support efforts to remove a statue of Columbus in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle, adding that it “has come to represent and signify appreciation for the Italian American contribution to New York.”. The 'extremely, extremely vividly detailed' song that just might take out the Hottest 100, Couple battling COVID-19 marries on the ward in UK hospital, Senate gives former US president's defence team two weeks to file impeachment briefs, Former martial arts instructor tells rape trial accuser initiated sex on day of cancer diagnosis, Police left traumatised by lethal confrontation with parolee who stabbed his partner 16 times. (Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP: Alexa Welch Edlund) But it is the Confederate symbols that are attracting the most attention. A mob toppled a statue of Charles Linn, a Confederate navy captain … Though Columbus is widely credited with “discovering” America, Smithsonian magazine’s Brian Handwerk points out that Native Americans lived on the continent for some 15,000 years prior to his arrival. At the back of everyone's minds are the images of Neo-Nazis marching in the streets in Charlottesville in 2017. In St. Paul, where protesters tore Columbus’ likeness down to the sounds of “singing, drumming and joyous chants,” as Jessie Van Berkel writes for the Star Tribune, police informed American Indian Movement activist Mike Forcia that he would be charged with criminal damage to property. Others said that they consider Columbus an emblem of their heritage, and that the figure’s erasure from history would be a “hate crime” against Italians and Italian Americans. selling First Nation women and girls into sex slavery. In Richmond, protesters pulled down an eight-foot-tall statue in Byrd Park, carrying it about 200 yards before setting it on fire and throwing it into the nearby Fountain Lake. The demonstration began peacefully, but then protesters vandalized the Columbus statue, tore it down, and threw it into a lake in the park. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images. A study by the SPLC found a great number were built during the early 1900s and again in the 1950s and 60s. Keep up-to-date on: © 2021 Smithsonian Magazine. But they didn't have a say. When statues were first erected honouring Confederate generals or notable slave-owning citizens, the white population in the southern states would, by and large, have nodded with approval. A three-metre tall (10ft) bronze statue of Columbus … What you probably weren't taught was he is also accused of selling First Nation women and girls into sex slavery. The group later turned their attention toward Lincoln's statue, pulling it down about eight minutes later. Give a Gift. After all, their heroes' may not have prevailed in that awful Civil War, but they were revered all the same. A large group gathered about 4:20 p.m. at Buckingham Fountain, 301 S. Columbus Dr., for a protest and moved south into Grant Park, Chicago police said. Advertising Notice But many Confederate monuments in America were built long after the Civil War ended in 1865. It turned deadly when a man allegedly accelerated his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a 32-year-old woman and leaving 19 others injured. We can expect more of the Confederate "icons" to bite the dust in the near future. Outside the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., a 10-foot bronze sculpture of Columbus came toppling down on Wednesday afternoon after a group of protesters tied ropes around the statue… And why the Confederate statues should come down. This comes days after the Confederate statue of General Williams Carter Wickham was… ... Virginia lawmakers had planned to pull down a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. … The controversial Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park was taken down under cover of darkness early Friday, hours after Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered its removal. Earlier in June, activists tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus outside the Minneapolis State Capitol. But now, in the wake of George Floyd’s killing and widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism, the debate has taken on renewed resonance. Bolin added, “We’re not here to hijack your movement. Several statues of Christopher Columbus have been attacked, decapitated, and even dumped in a lake. Back then, during a "Unite the Right" rally, a group of white nationalists holding lit torches marched through the campus of the University of Virginia. Mainstream media news coverage inevitably focused on … Terms of Use California Do Not Sell My Info Vote Now! As local broadcast station WCVB Boston reports, the Massachusetts statue of Columbus—erected in a historically Italian American neighborhood in 1979—was previously vandalized in 2006, when its head went missing for several days, and 2015, when demonstrators spray-painted it with the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” On Thursday, workers removed the decapitated statue and placed it in storage, according to CBS Boston. In Baltimore, Maryland, protesters on the Fourth of July pulled down a statue of Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor. Smithsonian Institution, (Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce / AFP via Getty Images). 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