There was a resurgence in attacks on American monuments over the 4th of July weekend, with the primary targets being depictions of the famed explorer Christopher Columbus, as reported by the New York Post.
A statue of Columbus in Waterbury, Connecticut was decapitated by rioters sometime Friday night; the head has still not been located. In Baltimore, Maryland, terrorists tore down a Columbus statue that stood in the Little Italy neighborhood, dragged it along the ground, and rolled it into the harbor.
Also targeted over the weekend were two statues in Portland, Oregon: “The Promised Land,” which depicts a pioneer family, and a 120-year-old statue of an elk, both made out of bronze. Terrorists set fire to both sculptures, and then tried to burn down the nearby federal courthouse before police declared a riot and intervened to stop the vandalism.
In recent weeks, the Trump Administration has been hastening the process of hunting down, arresting, and indicting individuals responsible for the destruction of federal monuments after President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting broader authority to the federal government to do so. In the wake of the order, among other examples, at least five individuals were arrested for an attempt to tear down the Equestrian Statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House.
President Trump directly addressed the widespread plague of attacks on statues and monuments, describing it as part of a rising “far-left fascism,” in a fiery address in front of Mount Rushmore on July 3rd. In his speech, he announced that he would be signing an executive order aimed at repairing damaged or destroyed monuments, and also establishing the creation of a brand new federal monument: The National Garden of American Heroes, an outdoor park that will feature dozens of statues of American political figures, innovators, and more.