Seasonal & Holidays
Providence's Christopher Columbus Statue Vandalized
Red paint and the words "stop celebrating genocide" were found on the statute on Columbus' namesake holiday.
PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island's Christopher Columbus statue was vandalized with red paint on Monday morning, according to reports. A sign reading "Stop Celebrating Genocide" was tied on the statue's pedestal, WJAR reported.
Columbus Day, while celebrated in Italian-American culture, has come under fire in recent years, with some calling for a celebration of "Indigenous People's Day" instead.
This is not the first time the statue has been vandalized, as it was targeted in both 2010 and 2017, WJAR continued.
Find out what's happening in Cranstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Executive Director of RI Indian Council, Darrell Waldron, looking at Christopher Columbus statue vandalism in Providence. Waldron says he can understand why someone acted out this way on behalf of Native Americans, but he doesn’t condone this @NBC10 pic.twitter.com/0YB71BsM35
— Jared Pelletier (@NBC10_Jared) October" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/NBC10_Jare... 14, 2019
According to the Associated Press, the statue of Christopher Columbus at the foot of San Francisco's Coit Tower was also vandalized with red paint over the weekend, with messages reading "destroy all monuments of genocide" and "kill all colonizers."
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
