A man was shot and wounded Thursday, September 28 in the US state of New Mexico (southwest), during a demonstration against the reinstallation of a statue of a Spanish conquistador, we learned from the authorities and the demonstrators. "Demonstrators and opponents of the demonstration had gathered (...) in response to the county's plan to install a statue of Juan de Oñate," according to a statement from the city of Española, located in the north of the US state.
Juan de Oñate, the state's first governor during the colonial era, is a controversial figure in the United States for his role in the 1599 massacre of Native Americans. The statue was removed for the first time in 2020, amid protests demanding the removal of statues in memory of historical figures considered symbols of oppression.
"I strongly condemn the cowardly act of violence we have witnessed"
A fight broke out at the site where the statue was to be erected, according to a video posted on social media by indigenous activists. In particular, it shows an armed man shooting at the person with whom he was fighting. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce that one of our loved ones was shot," The Red Nation, a Native American advocacy group, said in a message posted on X, according to which the victim was "conscious" when he left by ambulance.
Local media identified the suspect as Ryan Martinez, 23, who was wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, Donald Trump's slogan, at the time of the brawl.
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I strongly condemn the cowardly act of violence we witnessed today in Rio Arriba County," New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said in a statement posted on social media.