Protesters Yank Down Columbus Statue Outside Minnesota State Capitol

Protesters in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday afternoon toppled a statue of 15th Century explorer Christopher Columbus outside the state’s Capitol building.

Protesters placed a rope around the statue and yanked it off its pedestal.

The protesters said they tore down the statue because they deem Columbus a “symbol of genocide against Native Americans,” according to the Associated Press. The demonstrators further demanded “justice” for George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

State Patrol troopers in helmets, who provide security in the Capitol complex, stood by at a distance but did not try to stop the protesters, who celebrated afterward with Native American singing and drumming.

The troopers eventually formed a line to protect the toppled statute so it could be taken away.

The protest followed a similar incident Tuesday night in Richmond, Virginia, where protesters pulled down a Columbus statue in a city park, set it on fire and rolled it into a nearby lake.

The AP contributed to this report.