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A group of strangers demolished the statue of the Spanish explorer and first governor of Puerto Rico,

Juan Ponce de León

, this Monday morning in San Juan, the capital of the Caribbean island, hours before King Felipe VI of Spain visits the city . "Some individuals approached" the statue, located in Plaza San José, in the historic center of San Juan, and "damaged it," according to a police report cited by the local press.

The mayor of San Juan,

Miguel Romero

, criticized an "act of vandalism", in statements to the newspaper 'El Nuevo Día', although he downplayed what happened.

"The sculpture didn't break. What broke was the base," he said.

"I hope that the sculpture will be back before the end of the day or later in the evening," he added.

King Felipe VI will arrive in Puerto Rico , an unincorporated territory of the United States, in

the afternoon on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the founding of San Juan.

The Puerto Rican capital was founded in 1521, but the official celebrations were postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The authorities indicated that they were reviewing images from security cameras to try to locate those responsible for the demolition of the statue.

Several local media suggest that a group called the Libertarian Forces of Borikén assumed responsibility for the events.

"Given the supposed visit of the King of Spain, Felipe VI, to Puerto Rico and the escalation of gringo invaders seizing our lands, we want to send a clear message: neither kings nor gringo invaders," the group wrote in a statement.

Ponce de León received royal permission in 1508 to explore and colonize the island, which the Taínos, its native inhabitants, called Borikén.

The toppled statue was forged in 1882 in New York from

bronze obtained from English cannons

captured after a failed British attack on the Spanish in Puerto Rico in 1797.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

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