A statue of Christopher Columbus (pictured here) was vandalized in Little Italy, Chicago on Columbus Day, Monday
A statue of Christopher Columbus was vandalized in Chicago’s Little Italy on Columbus Day – which marks the Italian explorer’s arrival to the Americas.
The defaced statue, which is located between Polk and Loomis streets, was covered in red paint.
In addition to the vandalized statue the words ‘mass murderer’ and ‘decolonise’ were also spray painted on the pedestal.
The graffiti was removed by city workers Monday morning.
A resident of the Little Italy area said: ‘It has nothing to do with our neighborhood or the people in the neighborhood,’ said Ella Wilk, CBS reports.
‘It’s political and it happens around the whole city, this idea of marking statues they don’t believe should be here.’
This is the second time the statue has been vandalized, it was also defaced on Saturday.
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The statue is located between Polk and Loomis streets in Little Italy, Chicago
In addition to the vandalized statue the words ‘mass murderer’ and ‘decolonise’ were also spray painted on the pedestal
According to police, three males on bicycles were spotted defacing the statue around midnight.
They attempted to flee the premise but a witness grabbed one of the men, 30-year-old Kyle Miskell.
The witness stayed with him until police arrived at the scene and arrested him.
He was charged with felony counts of criminal damage to government property and also criminal defacement of property.
The defaced statue was covered in red paint that is located in the Little Italy neighborhood
Officials don’t have any suspects with regards to Monday’s incident however.
A movement to eradicate Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day has been an ongoing argument in the US, however Italian-Americans believe the change would abolish a vital aspect of their history.
They argue getting rid of the holiday is culturally insensitive.
Another statue of Christopher Columbus in Rhode Island, located in Columbus Square in Providence, was also vandalized Monday
Additionally at Union Station in Washington, DC the Christopher Columbus statue was defaced in red paint (pictured here)
However others believe that Christopher Columbus was responsible for immense suffering and shouldn’t be honored.
Another statue of Christopher Columbus in Rhode Island, located in Columbus Square in Providence, was also vandalized Monday, NBC reports.
It was found doused in red and black paint and included graffiti of an expletive followed by Columbus’ name.
Additionally at Union Station in Washington, DC the Christopher Columbus statue was defaced in red paint.