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, demonstrators have unbolted the statue of the Genoese navigator with ropes, near the district of Little Italy. Long celebrated as "the one who discovered America", Christopher Columbus is today seen by some as the symbol of the arrival of Europeans and the conquest of land not belonging to them.
In the aftermath of the protests against racial inequality sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African-American killed by a white policeman in Minneapolis on May 25, numerous statues of figures linked to colonial history or to discrimination were taken down or attacked, in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
Trump mentioned the navigator in a speech
In his speech Saturday on the occasion of the national holiday of July 4, marking Independence Day, when in 1776 thirteen British colonies proclaimed 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 the protesters who denounce racial discrimination.
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"We are defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators and the plunderers," added Donald Trump during a ceremony in the gardens of the White House. "We will never allow an angry crowd to demolish our statues, erase our history and indoctrinate our children," he said.
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, in New Jersey. For its part, the municipality of San Francisco has removed a statue of the navigator from its local parliament.