Left-wing activists and protesters smashed what is believed to be the oldest standing Christopher Columbus statue in the United States; attacking the 225-year old monument with bats and saying the explorer symbolized “the initial invasion of European capitalism” in the Western Hemisphere.
The vandals posted a video of the incident on social media, assaulting the monument as a narrator outlined the groups grievances against Columbus, who they described as a “genocidal terrorist.”
“White supremacy and the systems that sustain it must be replaced or people will continue to suffer and the planet will continue to die. Part of our evolution as humans requires tearing down monuments to destructive forces and tearing down systems that maintain them,” says the narrator.
The criminal act comes as the nation struggles with the place of Confederate War memorials in public squares throughout the country, with many calling for the removal of the monuments and others hailing the sites as a part of their heritage.
President Trump weighed-in on the issue last week, warning that removing the historic monuments may lead to a slippery slope, with activists calling for the removal of Thomas Jefferson or George Washington memorials in the near-future.
“So this week, it is Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down,” said the President during a press conference in New York. “I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?”
h/t The Hill