Protesters turned vandals tore down the statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore's Little Italy and dumped it into the harbour late Saturday. This was done as a collective violent action, with no input from voters.
After the statue came down, the mob cheers and jumps around amid the remnants of the fallen statue. Some people pick up the pieces and raise them over their heads in victory while the mob cheers.
Antifa destroyed the Columbus statue in Baltimore’s Little Italy. pic.twitter.com/hQwWDGK5Rr
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 5, 2020
Protesters can be heard chanting, "Hey, hey, ho ho, this racist guy has got to go!" They tied chains and ropes around the figure and pulled, toppling the monument. This before taking the smashed pieces and tossing them into the city's Inner Harbor.
The mob relished the result of their actions and seemed well pleased with their efforts.
The statue was the property of the city and had been dedicated just 36 years before by former Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan, according to Newsweek.
City officials neither decried nor condemned the actions of this mob of vandals who seized public art, destroyed it, and then littered the harbour with its tattered remnants.
Instead, Lester Davis, spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. Young, made allowances for these vandals. He noted that the statues may mean different things to different people and the toppling of these statues is part of a reconsideration process.
"We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative," Davis said.
Monuments to Christopher Columbus have been targeted in the backlash against police brutality since the death of George Floyd on May 25. Statues to Columbus were torn down in Massachusetts and Virginia as well.
The initial asks of protestors were for the removal of Confederate statues, some of which has been undertaken with intention by elected leaders while other statues were toppled by mob fiat. This demand for the removal of art commemorating the nation's past historical figures has moved on to presidents, abolitionists, and literary figures.
However, in Spain, the mayor of Barcelona rejected the prospect of tearing down the monument to Christopher Columbus, but was open to having discussions about the historical figure. Although an Italian adventurer, Columbus' voyage to the new world, on three ships, was sponsored by Spain.
President Donald Trump condemned the attacks on the many monuments over the past month during his Fourth of July speech at Mount Rushmore, claiming that those who want to take down statues and monuments wish to "end America."
"Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children," Trump said.
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