Links and sources
12 / 11 / 2021 : “ El movimiento antirracista de Madrid vuelve a la calle “ contra las violencias racistas y los discursos del odio ”. Available at : https :// www . eldiario . es / madrid / movimientoantirracista-madrid-vuelve-calle-violencias-racistas-discursos-odio _ 1 _ 8485429 . html Andreeva Eneva , S . ( 2021 ). White panthers : división etno-racial del trabajo en el activismo antirracista en Madrid . Available at : https :// repositorio . uam . es / handle / 10486 / 696624
7 . Anti-racist demonstrations for the removal of the statue of Columbus
Name of the initiative
Year Participants Status
Anti-racist demonstration for the removal of the statue of Columbus
2020
Various anti-racist groups in Spain
Description
The monument to Columbus , located in the plaça del Portal de la Pau in Barcelona , stands 57 metres high and was inaugurated on 1 June 1888 , as part of the Barcelona Universal Exposition . The architect Cayetano Buigas was responsible for designing this project . It quickly became an iconic symbol of the city . This creation has been listed as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest ( BCIL ) in the Catalan Cultural Heritage Inventory .
As regards the presence of this statue , various protests have been held seeking its removal . For example , in June 2020 , a group of approximately 250 people came together to protest in Barcelona . The purpose of this demonstration was to express their rejection of racism and to advocate for the removal of the statue of Christopher Columbus , which commemorates his arrival to the city in 1493 after his first journey to America .
Along the route , demonstrators also expressed their discontent over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis ( USA ) at the hands of a police officer , as well as the situation of Rayshard Brooks , a young man of African descent in Atlanta ( USA ). In addition to these concerns , there were slogans questioning racial policies and showing solidarity with immigrants .
A few months later , on 12 October 2020 , a copy of the statue of Christopher Columbus was burned in front of the real statue in Barcelona . These events followed rallies organised by immigrant groups and the Catalan left against racism and colonialism . With the slogan “ Somos resistencia anticolonial . No hay motivo de celebración , todo en favor de derrocar ” [ in English , “ We are anti-colonial resistance . There is nothing to celebrate . All in favour of tearing it down ”], approximately 500 individuals gathered at the rally . During the protest the demonstrators called for the monument to be torn down .
Meanwhile , there were also demonstrations in Madrid , where anti-racist activists rallied in the plaza de Cibeles demanding the removal of monuments and statues commemorating colonisation . They protested by unfurling a five-metre banner with the slogan “ Fire to the colonial order ” and adding red dye to the water in the fountain .
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