Christopher Columbus

"You're not doing anything with it," the GOP candidate said. "All it's got is cobwebs and mothballs in warehouses, and you're paying for it."

"Not honoring Indigenous peoples on this day just continues to erase ... the fact that we were the first inhabitants of this country," said activist Les Begay.

Several states and cities have joined the movement to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day either instead of or in addition to Columbus Day.

Columbus Day sees many government offices and banks closed for the day. But are schools open on the annual holiday?

The annual holiday commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus' fleet of three ships on San Salvador Island.

The plywood box surrounding the Columbus statue in Philadelphia was placed to protect the statue from potential vandalism.

The decision came after concerns were raised over Columbus' treatment of indigenous peoples.

"It is baffling to this court as to how the City of Philadelphia wants to remove the Statue without any legal basis," wrote Common Pleas Court Judge Paula Patrick.

The lawsuit seeks to have the Chicago Park District reinstall the statue in Arrigo Park and claims its removal is a breach of a nearly 50-year-old contract.

The New Jersey district made the move instead of choosing between Columbus Day holiday and Indigenous People's Day.

"Last week, Biden, he attacked Christopher Columbus by refusing to recognize Columbus Day, and he wants to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.... Not as long as I'm president," Donald Trump said.

The controversial Pennsylvania effigy is covered up in anticipation of its removal, but the local Italian American community is fighting to save it

Demonstrators targeted statues they saw as symbolizing the parts of American history most closely associated with racism and white supremacy.

Rather than abolish Columbus Day, let us add to its meaning. Let's make it the holiday that celebrates the accomplishments immigrants have made and continue to make for America and the world.

Researchers discovered traces of the bacteria that causes syphilis in human remains from long before Christopher Columbus' travels in Finland, Estonia and the Netherlands.

Former Democratic South Philadelphia state Senator Vincent Fumo, on Thursday, suggested that statues of Black Americans in the city could be removed if the monument of Christopher Columbus is taken down.

"These violent acts are unacceptable and put everyone at risk," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Saturday.

Video shows officers guarding the statue, standing behind a barricade of police bicycles while protesters throw projectiles and fireworks while chanting "Who do you serve?"

The House speaker said "people will do what they do" when asked about the statue being torn down in Baltimore.

Ohio's Newton Falls declared itself a "Statuary Sanctuary City" in a written proclamation letter issued on Saturday.

"Hey, hey, ho ho, this racist guy has got to go!" the crowd chanted as a number of protesters used ropes and chains to pull down the monument in the Little Italy neighborhood.

A second statue of Christopher Columbus was removed in Newark, New Jersey, as statues of the European explorer have been targeted by anti-racism demonstrators across the country.

The clash began when the protester was confronted by those who did not want the statue removed because of its importance to Italian Americans, according to footage.

Flyers advertising a Juneteenth protest said attendees would throw the controversial statue into the San Francisco Bay.

Controversial statues across the country have been defaced, vandalized and removed, including those of Christopher Columbus. But many Italian Americans believe the latter are a symbol of their heritage and contributions to the country.

The Texas Republican sparked a social media debate after he shared a video of a statue of the explorer being pulled down in St. Paul, Minnesota.

"The Christopher Columbus statue, in some ways represents the Italian-American legacy in this country and the Italian-American contribution in this country," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

"We're talking about a criminal who through these fables in American history has been made out to be this discoverer," Cliff Matias of the Redhawk Native American Arts Council told Newsweek.

The statue of the explorer in St Paul is the latest to be targeted by protesters amid scrutiny over his treatment of indigenous peoples and a wider debate on race.

Now the statue rests in the park lake covered in the brightly colored neon ropes used to topple Columbus.