The mayor of New York dismissed Friday the idea of removing a statue of Christopher Columbus overlooking a square near Central Park, although the statues of the explorer are attacked across the United States in the wake of the demonstrations against the racial inequalities.
Read also: United States: statues of Christopher Columbus attacked in Boston, Miami and Virginia
Despite renewed calls for the removal of this statue, including a petition signed by more than 5,000 signatures, the mayor, Bill de Blasio said he did not want to reverse its maintenance, decided in January 2018 by a committee specially formed to decide the fate of controversial monuments.
" The commission has done a very thorough job (..) and I think we should stick to its conclusions, " said Bill de Blasio, during a press briefing. After several months of work, the commission had decided not to touch the statue erected in 1892 for the 400th anniversary of the " discovery " of America by the Genoese explorer, who became a symbol of the genocide of the Amerindians and of oppression natives in general. It sits atop a column 23 meters high, in the square of " Columbus Circle ". The commission had decided to affix explanatory plaques on the history of Christopher Columbus in the square.
Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who wants to be at the forefront of anti-racism reforms, also spoke out for the maintenance of this statue. " I understand the feelings around Christopher Columbus and some of his actions, which no one would defend (...) But the statue is also a tribute to the contribution of the Italian-American community in New York. And for that, I support her, ”said Andrew Cuomo, from a family with Italian origins, like Bill De Blasio with German-Italian roots.
In the wake of protests against racial inequality sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, several statues of Christopher Columbus were recently removed or vandalized, notably in Boston, Miami and Richmond, Virginia. Another was unbolted Thursday night in Camden, New Jersey.
In recent years, dozens of American cities have replaced the October celebration of " Columbus Day " - a federal holiday since 1937 - with a day of tribute to " indigenous peoples ". But New York and Boston, which have strong communities of Italian origin, have retained it.
To read also: "The unbolt of the statues of Leopold II, a question of memory more than of History"