A 144-year-old statue commemorating explorer Christopher Columbus will be removed in Philadelphia in the coming days after critics claim the memorial “attracts violence” from protesters.
“The statue at Marconi Plaza will be placed in temporary storage, the city’s Art Commission decided Wednesday after more than a month of discussion about the fate of the statue prompted by ongoing protests surrounding the death of George Floyd in May, the Inquirer reported,” reports the Daily Caller.
Breaking:At least 2 taken into custody at Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia. Protesters rip down an Italian flag and a police barrier as tensions rise at Christopher Columbus statue. @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/Qrtv5xcwq5
— Chris O'Connell (@CoconnellFox29) June 14, 2020
“Marconi Plaza had reportedly become an epicenter for protests and riots, causing the city to surround the statue in plywood in June to prevent it from being vandalized, or as seen in many cities, destroyed. A police cruiser was permanently stationed at the plaza to prevent further violence after there were repeated incidents of armed groups accused of assailing passersby,” adds the website.
Read the full report here.
ANOTHER ONE DOWN: Philadelphia to Remove 144-Year-Old Columbus Statue Because it ‘Attracts Violence’
A 144-year-old statue commemorating explorer Christopher Columbus will be removed in Philadelphia in the coming days after critics claim the memorial “attracts violence” from protesters.
“The statue at Marconi Plaza will be placed in temporary storage, the city’s Art Commission decided Wednesday after more than a month of discussion about the fate of the statue prompted by ongoing protests surrounding the death of George Floyd in May, the Inquirer reported,” reports the Daily Caller.
Breaking:At least 2 taken into custody at Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia. Protesters rip down an Italian flag and a police barrier as tensions rise at Christopher Columbus statue. @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/Qrtv5xcwq5
— Chris O'Connell (@CoconnellFox29) June 14, 2020
“Marconi Plaza had reportedly become an epicenter for protests and riots, causing the city to surround the statue in plywood in June to prevent it from being vandalized, or as seen in many cities, destroyed. A police cruiser was permanently stationed at the plaza to prevent further violence after there were repeated incidents of armed groups accused of assailing passersby,” adds the website.
Read the full report here.
LIBERAL HATE: Vandals Attack Columbus Statue in NYC's Central Park
“It reflects a lot of what’s going on in the world right now and this country…it’s about unrest the unrest in the world,” said one passerby, adding, “It bothers me to see [the graffiti]. It’s not positive, it’s destructive.”
“That’s the first thing I’ve seen in New York that makes me feel saddened and angry,” said a tourist from Tennessee. “We have legal ways of protesting.”
The debate over the nation’s historic symbols and monuments re-ignited earlier this year after Confederate memorials were used as a rallying cry for white supremacist organizations in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The ensuing chaos led many to call for the removal of Civil War memorials throughout the south, but left many worried the move would spill over to other historical figures, such as Christopher Columbus and Thomas Jefferson.