In the latest news relating to controversial statues in the U.S., a large monument to Christopher Columbus, located in Central Park, was found to be vandalized on Tuesday. The vandal painted the statue’s hands with red paint, while scrawling the message “hate will not be tolerated on the pedestal of the statue. A further threat was painted at the base of the seven-foot statue with the hashtag #somethingscoming. There was also a paper sign on the base reading “Save your soul.”

Christopher Columbus statue daubed with paint and graffiti

According to authorities, the vandalized statue was discovered by a Central Park Conservancy maintenance worker at around 7 a.m.

at the end of the Mall walkway. Workers then began a cleanup of the explorer’s statue, using acetone. However, one worker was overheard to say the red paint on the explorer’s hands would be quite difficult to remove.

Following the recent violence in Charlottesville, Vi., where a counter-protester was killed during a protest against the removal of a Confederate statue, there has been much debate about the status of various monuments. Recently statues dedicated to the explorer Columbus have come under discussion, with many saying he brutalized and enslaved indigenous people while on his travels.

Commission to review ‘oppressive’ monuments in New York City

A commission has recently been set up by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to review any possibly “oppressive” monuments in the city and to recommend their removal. At the time Melissa Mark-Viverito, the City Council Speaker, had recommended that the 76-foot monument dedicated to Columbus in Columbus Circle be considered for potential removal.

She had also encouraged that the statue which has recently been defaced also be considered for taking down.

Mixed feelings from the public

As reported by the New York Post, members of the public had mixed feelings about the defacement of the Christopher Columbus statue. Lois Hammett, a visitor from Tennessee, deemed the Vandalism to be “disgraceful.

She said it was the first thing she had seen in New York that saddened her and made her angry, adding there are legal ways to protest. Sheri Berger, a 54-year-old resident of Brooklyn, was walking her dog in Central Park. She said the vandalism reflects much of what is happening in the world at the moment, but she added that it does bother her to see it, as it is destructive, not positive.

Another woman in Central Park told CBS News that vandalism does nothing, even if the vandals are against the concept of the statue.

A man told the news service that there are good parts about the monuments and also bad parts. However, he didn’t believe they should be removed, saying they should let them be.

Rally against white supremacy on Tuesday evening

Despite the message that “something's coming,” no one has as yet taken responsibility for the vandalism. However, CBS News reports that several groups are organizing what they term a “tear it down” gathering at Columbus Circle on Tuesday evening, where they intend to call for an end to “white supremacy” and to what they consider to be symbols of oppression. The rally is set to start at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and will include a march to the CNN headquarters close by.
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