Protesters debunked a statue of Christopher Columbus on Saturday in Baltimore, on the east coast of the United States, the latest attack on monuments or statues of historical figures linked to slavery or colonization.
According to images broadcast by the Baltimore Sun, protesters unbolted the statue of the Genoese navigator using ropes near the Little Italy neighborhood.
Christopher Columbus unbolted in Baltimore, USA https://t.co/hwlPlRcqxZ—GuillaumeAuda (@ ????????? ????)
Long celebrated as “The one who discovered America”, Christopher Colombus is now seen by some as the symbol the arrival of Europeans and the conquest of lands not belonging to them.
“Debunking as a lesson in history and as a place of memory”, by Pierre Tevanian
In the wake of protests against racial inequalities sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African American killed by a white policeman in Minneapolis on May 25, many statues of figures linked to colonial history or to discrimination have been debunked or attacked, in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
Trump mentions Christopher Columbus
In his speech on Saturday on the National Day of July 4, marking Independence Day, when in 1776 thirteen British colonies declared their separation from the British crown, President Donald Trump mentioned the Genoese navigator.
“We will fight together for the American dream, and we will defend, protect, and preserve the American way of life that began in 1492 when Christopher Columbus discovered America”, he said, attacking protesters who denounce racial discrimination.
Jean-Marc Ayrault: “Refusing to revisit our history is to make the bed of identities on both sides”
“We are defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators and the looters”Donald Trump added during a ceremony in the gardens of the White House
Legal proceedings
“We will never allow an angry mob to demolish our statues, erase our history and indoctrinate our children”, he said again.
Donald Trump had already asked the police on Friday to arrest and prosecute anyone who damages a monument.
Several statues of Christopher Columbus have been removed or vandalized, notably in Boston, Miami, Richmond, Virginia or Camden, New Jersey. For its part, the Municipality of San Francisco has removed a statue of the navigator from its local parliament.
