Many view Christopher Columbus as an oppressor.Colombian anti-government protestors toppled the statue of Christopher Columbus in Barranquilla, a coastal city.The European explorer figure, named after Colombia, was removed from its plinth by ropes and vandalized.This demonstration was two months after the beginning of a nationwide protest movement for social reform.Indigenous activists view Columbus as a symbol for colonialism, oppression and racism.Barranquilla's mayor said that those responsible would be brought before the justice system.As part of the ongoing anti-government protests that have been taking place across the country, the Columbus statue was the latest to be taken from its pedestal.The 16th Century Spanish conquistador Sebastin de Belalczar, a south-western Spanish city in September, was one of the first to go.Sebastin de Belalczar, a Spanish conquistador, founded Popayn in 1537.After Belalczar was brought to trial, and found guilty of genocide and enslavement, torture and stealing their ancestral lands, a group of Colombians representing the Misak, Nasa, and Pijao indigenous groups claimed that they had toppled it.Another statue of Belalczar has been removed from Cali since then.In April, the statue of Belalczar was taken down from Cali.Bogot was the capital. Members of the Misak indigenous group demolished the statue of Gonzalo Jimnez de Quesada the Spanish conquistador who founded this city in 1638.After toppling the statue of Gonzalo de Quesada, members of the Misak indigenous band marchedThe statue of Queen Isabella, the patron of Columbus's 1492 expedition to explore America, was also targeted by indigenous protestors in Bogot, which is now called Misak.In June, Queen Isabella's statue was covered in red paintColombia's ministry has since removed the statues of Queen Isabella, Christopher Columbus and another one from nearby "for safety purposes".The protest movement that has rocked the country over the past months has been led by prominent indigenous groups.Colombia's indigenous peoples have been engulfed by Spanish conquistadors in colonial times.Continue the storyEven after the 2016 signing of a peace accord between the left-wing Farc rebels, the government and indigenous groups, right-wing paramilitaries continue to target dissident rebels and right-wing paramilitaries who opposed the peace deal.According to Indepaz, more than 20 indigenous rights defenders were killed in this year's violence. The indigenous groups demand that more is done to protect them.This could be something you are interested in:
