In June, Black Lives Matter rioters beheaded a Christopher Columbus statue in Boston’s North End. Days before Columbus Day, Boston officials announced they have caved to the rioters and the statue will never return to Christopher Columbus Park.
Black Lives Matter Rioters Behead Columbus Statue In Boston
Leftwing rioters targeted statues in Democratic cities across the country.
They targeted confederate and even abolitionist statues, proving they lacked historical knowledge.
While Democrat politicians caved to demands to not replace confederate statues, many were holding out hope the statue would return.
Boston’s Mayor killed that hope.
Columbus Day ~ Christopher Columbus statue beheaded in Boston park https://t.co/IU1oyk2xzU pic.twitter.com/hGl6Fnc45V
— Gary DelPonte (@GaryDelPonte) June 10, 2020
Columbus Day is an important holiday to Italian Americans.
October is Italian American heritage month and Columbus Day parades and festivities occur the second Monday in October throughout the country in Italian neighborhoods.
Related: Rioters Behead One Christopher Columbus Statue And Drag Another Into Lake
History of Columbus Day
The day has been a sense of pride since becoming a federal holiday in 1937.
Many Italian Americans saw this holiday as a sign of acceptance. They had faced widespread discrimination and Columbus Day signified they were now officially part of the American experience and culture.
Boston’s announcement of that the Columbus statue will not return to the park bearing the explorer’s name is a slap in the face to the Italian American community.
Instead, it will be replaced with a statue of Italian immigrants. The City of Boston feels it has the superior right to tell Americans of Italian descent who represents them.
The statue stood in the Christopher Columbus Park since 1979 and was imported from Italy. It was meant to symbolizes the Italian Americans who live in Boston’s North End.
The statue will have a new home. It will be fixed and relocated to affordable housing the Massachusetts Knights of Columbus funded.
Frank Mazzaglia, who is the chairman of the board for the Italian American Alliance, said this announcement took them by surprise.
Mayor Walsh did not inform them of these change of plans prior to the announcement before the holiday. Walsh sided with rioters over local Italian American leaders.
Related: D.C. Changes Columbus Day To Indigenous Peoples’ Day With ‘Emergency’ Legislation
Boston Mayor Disappoints Italian Americans
The Boston Mayor reportedly did a bait and switch on local Italians.
He has walked in the Columbus Day parade in the past. So he should recognize the insult of this announcement coming without consultation right before the holiday.
Great to march in the Columbus Day Parade this afternoon, a celebration of Italian-American culture. pic.twitter.com/VBQbXaChru
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) October 8, 2017
From Boston.com:
In June, the alliance called off a rally it had organized to call for bringing back the Columbus statue after receiving the opportunity to talk with Walsh, who told the statue’s supporters he would speak to them again before a final decision was made, according to Mazzaglia. The mayor did not, he said.
“When this came out the way that it did, to put it mildly, it was surprising,” he said.
Mazzaglia noted, however, it’s important that the statue is “returned to a prominent place and it’s safe,” which the current plan would allow. Supporters figured the sculpture could likely be vandalized again at the park, he said.
“But it’s just not what the mayor promised,” Mazzaglia said.