Washington (AFP)

Don't call them the "Indians" anymore: The Cleveland baseball team announced on Friday that it was renaming itself the "Guardians" after dropping its name considered racist by several Native American groups.

The announcement was made on the team's Twitter account (@indians) in a video message from team fan actor Tom Hanks.

On its website, the club explained that the new name was chosen in reference to statues that adorn the Hope Memorial Bridge located near the stadium, after interviewing more than 40,000 club supporters and seeking advice from Native American representatives.

The team's logo is now a baseball encased in two capital G's adorned with a wing, "inspired by the winged helmet" worn by the statues on the bridge.

"We recognize that this name change will be difficult for many of us and that the transition will take time," franchise owner Paul Dolan admitted in a letter to supporters, adding that the actual change would take place at the end of the day. from the current Major League (MLB) season.

Known by this name for more than a century, after adopting it in 1915, the Indians announced its abandonment in December 2020, under pressure from Amerindian and progressive influence groups.

The announcement came as the country was rocked by a wave of anger at the racism that still permeates American society, including continuing the legacy of those responsible for the slave-trading South during the Civil War.

Since then, many statues in memory of Southern generals have been debunked.

In 2018, the franchise decided to drop its logo, the "Chief Wahoo", a stereotypical caricature of Native Americans.

The Cleveland team's decision "is an important step towards healing the wounds long inflicted by its former mascot on Native Americans, especially young people," the National Native Council (NCAI) said in a statement. organization of Indian tribes.

“We call on other professional teams and the thousands of schools across the country who are holding on to their outdated + Native American themed + mascot to go this route,” added NCAI President Fawn Sharp.

In 2020, the American football team from Washington, had also abandoned its name of Redskins (Redskins) after 87 years, for the same reasons.

Its final new name is not yet known.

"It's a shame", on the contrary reacted Friday the former US President Donald Trump, estimating that the most dissatisfied by this decision were "the many Indians of our country".

He lashed out at progressive activists, calling them "little groups with crazy policies and ideas" that "are forcing these changes to destroy our culture and our heritage."

Several professional clubs still bear names related to Native Americans in the United States, including the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Club, the Atlanta Braves Baseball Club and the Kansas City Chiefs American Football Club.

© 2021 AFP