BALTIMORE -- Baltimore protesters have pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and thrown it into the city’s Inner Harbor.
Demonstrators on Saturday night used ropes to topple the monument in the Little Italy neighborhood, news outlets reported.
BREAKING: Christopher Columbus Statue in Columbus Park near Little Italy is gone. A witness said a group pulled the statue down, during protests, and pulled it in the harbor. You can see the rope in the water that’s still attached to the statues @wbaltv11 pic.twitter.com/DYCWNlTQPn
— Tre Ward (@TreWardWBAL) July 5, 2020
Baltimore Police stated, "we have no new updates to provide at this time."
In a statement, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said on Twitter:
"While we welcome peaceful protests and constructive dialogue on whether and how to put certain monuments in context or move them to museums through a legal process, lawlessness, vandalism, and destruction of public property is completely unacceptable. That is the antithesis of democracy and should be condemned by everyone, regardless of their politics."
While we welcome peaceful protests and constructive dialogue on whether and how to put certain monuments in context or move them to museums through a legal process, lawlessness, vandalism, and destruction of public property is completely unacceptable. https://t.co/6i1RdqpcHN
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) July 5, 2020
Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, among others.
They say the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.
Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota, and Boston, where one was decapitated.
RAW VIDEO: A witness shared this video of the moments right after the statue was pulled down. He said a group came during ongoing protests in the park and pulled the statue down.
— Tre Ward (@TreWardWBAL) July 5, 2020
Warning: there is profanity in the video. @wbaltv11 pic.twitter.com/GjNFArJbRV