Watch Christopher Columbus statue pulled from Virginia lake after it was dumped there
A Christopher Columbus statue was pulled out of a Virginia lake after protesters dumped it there, multiple media outlets report.
The statue was dripping wet when onlookers watched crews lift it from Fountain Lake in Richmond on Wednesday, video from WTVR and WWBT reporters show.
On Tuesday night, protesters used ropes to take the monument off its base in nearby Byrd Park, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The statue was then covered with spray paint, lit on fire and dragged to the water, where it was submerged, according to multiple media outlets.
The 93-year-old statue was taken down after a rally was held at the site earlier on Tuesday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. That gathering of about 1,000 people was organized to show support for indigenous peoples, according to the newspaper.
The city of Richmond on Wednesday afternoon didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment about the reported incident at Byrd Park.
Across the United States, debate has surrounded symbols of Columbus, who first traveled to the Americas from Europe in the late 1400s. While some say statues that depict him unduly celebrate the colonization of people native to the Americas, others have contended the monuments recognize an important figure in Italian history.
The statue in Richmond isn’t the only one that has been damaged.
In Boston, a Columbus statue in the North End area was found headless Wednesday, WCVB reported. The monument, which was a previous target of vandalism, will be moved to storage as city leaders weigh its “historic meaning,” according to the TV station.
Last year, a person in San Francisco dumped paint on a Columbus monument just before his namesake holiday. Some cities have chosen to instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which honors groups who first lived in this part of the world.
The most recent damage was reported as Confederate monuments in Richmond and other parts of the country have been defaced during protests. Demonstrators have called for change after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 1:18 PM with the headline "Watch Christopher Columbus statue pulled from Virginia lake after it was dumped there."
