Box Covering Columbus Statue in Philadelphia Painted with Colors of Italian Flag

A box covering a Christopher Columbus statue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been painted red, green, and white, the colors of the Italian flag.

The statue of Columbus is currently covered by plywood as courts decide if it will be taken down or remain up. The box surrounding the 146-year-old statue has been painted red, green, and white to honor Italian heritage.

Thomas DeFino, a resident who gathered in the park to celebrate his Italian American heritage told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “They did it for us — the Italians. It made us feel a little bit better,” also remarking, “It’s to honor our heritage. They had to pull some strings to paint it.”

Defino went on to say the statue should have been taken out at least for one day.”

Executive director of Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly Inc., Mabel Negrete, said that painting the box in order to honor Italian Americans “undermines intentions to move forward.”

Mayor Jim Kenney ordered the removal of the statue during the summer of 2020 calling it a matter of public safety. However, a judge reversed the decision on the grounds that the city failed to prove that it was necessary to remove the statue in order to protect the public. 

One lawsuit settlement previously allowed a towering 106-foot monument to Columbus to remain in place, uncovered, at Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River.

Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com