While lawmakers and government officials in Virginia debate over the removal of several Confederate statues from the state capital of Richmond, vandals just took aim at another “offensive” monument: a statue of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
The Columbus statue, which has stood in Byrd Park since 1927, was spray painted and lit on fire before being yanked down from its defaced pedestal and thrown in a lake.
Virginia protesters pull down Christopher Columbus statue and throw it in lake – video https://t.co/iokDd1y0e9
— The Guardian (@guardian) June 10, 2020
NBC12 reports on of their photographers was physically assaulted at the scene after being told to leave by the crowd.
“A small crowd of people waved boards in the photographer’s face, grabbed him and attacked his camera,” NBC12 reports.
Another statue of Columbus was beheaded and broken by vandals in a similar incident in Boston Tuesday night.
A Christopher Columbus statue in Boston was beheaded overnight. https://t.co/nlPRLUmwTq
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 10, 2020