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Baltimore protesters pull down Christopher Columbus statue, throw it into harbor

Protesters in Little Italy toppled the figure before tossing it into the Inner Harbor during demonstrations on Independence Day.

BALTIMORE — Editor's note: The video above is the toppling of a Confederate statue last month in Washington, D.C.

Baltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor on Saturday night.

Demonstrators used ropes to topple the monument in the Little Italy neighborhood, news outlets reported.

Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, among others. They say the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.

According to The Baltimore Sun, the statue was dedicated in 1984 and owned by the city.

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Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Boston, where one was decapitated.

Credit: AP
People stand around the fallen Christopher Columbus statue at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Images of the statue being pulled down and thrown into the water were posted on social media.

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