Protesters in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday afternoon toppled a statue of 15th Century explorer Christopher Columbus outside the state’s Capitol building.
Protesters placed a rope around the statue and yanked it off its pedestal.
The protesters said they tore down the statue because they deem Columbus a “symbol of genocide against Native Americans,” according to the Associated Press. The demonstrators further demanded “justice” for George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
BREAKING: Protesters have toppled the Christopher Columbus statue at the Minnesota State Capitol. @WCCO pic.twitter.com/uCpZY1zoA8
— Nick Streiff (@nickstreiff) June 10, 2020
State Patrol troopers in helmets, who provide security in the Capitol complex, stood by at a distance but did not try to stop the protesters, who celebrated afterward with Native American singing and drumming.
The troopers eventually formed a line to protect the toppled statute so it could be taken away.
The protest followed a similar incident Tuesday night in Richmond, Virginia, where protesters pulled down a Columbus statue in a city park, set it on fire and rolled it into a nearby lake.
The AP contributed to this report.
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