Christopher Columbus statue has also been removed from Chicago following the order of city mayor amid growing pressures from protesters.
Chicago, one of the major cities of the United States, had been witnessing demonstrations in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement triggered by the death of George Floyd.
According to Chicago Tribune, the statue of Columbus was removed between the intervening nights of Thursday and Friday. It was erected there for decades, and City Mayor, Lori Lightfoot issued the removal order.
How the Mayor Changed Her Stance!
The lady mayor, a Democrat, had been previously against the decision despite the growing public pressure. She argued that the statue of Columbus was a part of American history, and its removal would be tantamount to obliterating that part from history. However, the ever-increasing demonstrations forced her to change her stance.
The mayor’s change of heart was quoted by Chicago Tribune due to the reason that she did not want violent clashes between the police and protestors.
Remnants of Exploitation
After the pattern of demonstrations in other US cities with such remnants of exploitation, the Columbus statue in Chicago had also become the epicenter of public protest.
The death of George Floyd, the African-American who was killed in the police custody, unleashed a long-seething outrage against the barbarity and racial discrimination of the police. The after-effects of this incident not only spread across the country but engulfed many European cities where such remnants of exploitation were removed.
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- George Floyd, American tragedy and a fiddling president
- Hagia Sophia and the new conqueror of Constantinople
In the US, protestors were mostly demanding to bring down those historical statues that were linked to the American civil war.
Particularly, the statue of Columbus had been perceived in view of exploitation, oppression, and injustice.
Who Was Christopher Columbus?
Born in 1451, Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator. He was the first European citizen who discovered America as “a new world.”
However, many historians criticize Christopher Columbus for being racist. Most members of human rights organizations also blame the discoverer of America for being involved in violent activities against the indigenous people of America. Columbus also played a decisive role in the slave trade.
Weeks before the removal of Columbus statue from Chicago, public pressure also led to the removal of the statue of the discoverer of America from San Fransisco.
