Anti-Racism Protests: Christopher Columbus’ Statue Beheaded in US
Earlier this week, similar incidents were reported in Richmond and downtown Miami.
Amidst the anti-racism protests, unknown persons beheaded a statue of Christopher Columbus in Boston Massachusetts, on Wednesday, 10 June, reported The New York Times.
The head of the marble statue was found near the monument, in the Boston park that is named after him.
Earlier this week, similar incidents were reported in Richmond and downtown Miami. Columbus is considered by many as the person who ordered the genocide of several indigenous people in America, reported NDTV.
According to the reports, a campaign is underway to build pressure to remove all monuments of those personalities who have been accused of racism. The demand comes after the US witnessed massive demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Boston police were alerted to the damage shortly after midnight on Tuesday, a spokesman told AFP. An investigation is underway, but no one has been arrested.
"Coming out of the Black Lives Matter protests, I think it's a good thing to capitalise on this momentum. Just like black people in this country, indigenous people have also been wronged. I think this movement is pretty powerful and this is very symbolic," a jogger running past the statue on Wednesday told news agency AFP.
Boston's mayor Marty Walsh condemned the beheading. He said that the statue would be removed and the future of the statute will be decided based on further meetings
(With inputs from NYT, AFP)
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