Authorities In US' Camden Take Down Christopher Columbus Statue - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th June, 2020) Officials in the US town of Camden have taken down a statue of Christopher Columbus stating numerous requests from the local residents, who are predominantly minority people of color, media reported.

The move is the latest in a series of deconstructions of statues and public monuments with troubled racial histories, part of the worldwide movements sparked by the killing of George Floyd.

"The Christopher Columbus Statue located at Camden's Farnham Park, has long been a controversial symbol. Its presence has long pained the residents of the community. Previously, there have been requests to remove the statue as the community no longer supports the monument. It is long overdue, but we must now establish a plan to reexamine these outdated symbols of racial division and injustices," Camden Mayor Frank Moran said in a statement.

According to CBS, protesters had initially blocked the truck from approaching the statue, saying that they had planned to protest around it this weekend. news footage showed the statue in pieces on the ground.

The wave of defacing statues of controversial historical figures began in the UK town of Bristol where protesters took down a bronze statue to a former slave trader and dumped it into a river. Statues to confederate generals in the US, slave traders and even revered UK leader Winston Churchill have been destroyed, damaged or vandalized.

The killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May sparked a wave of protests against police brutality and institutionalized racism which spread to all 50 states and numerous countries worldwide.