© 2024 WNMU-FM
Upper Great Lakes News, Music, and Arts & Culture
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Vandals deface Christopher Columbus statue in Detroit

DETROIT, MI (AP)--   Police are investigating after someone vandalized a statue of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in downtown Detroit. 

An ax was taped to the head of the bronze bust and red paint was splashed on the face and chest. Since the vandalism was committed Monday, on Columbus Day, officials believe it was an act of disdain against the explorer and the federal holiday.

Columbus is credited with discovering the Americas in 1492, but opponents of the holiday feel it's inappropriate because of the genocide of indigenous people that followed the discovery.

The ax already has been removed from the statue and a Mayor's Office spokesman says the fake blood will be cleaned up on Tuesday.

The bust was created by Italian artist Augusto Rivalta and was dedicated on Columbus Day in 1910.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.