A Philadelphia statue of Christopher Columbus will see the light of day again, now that a plywood box that covered the monument has been removed.
Fox station WTXF in Philadelphia reported Monday that a Commonwealth court ruling late last week allowed the removal of a wooden box painted in green, white and red stripes covering a statue of Columbus.
A statue of Christopher Columbus in Philadelphia has been covered over for the past two years after violence broke out between those protecting the monument and those who wanted it torn down. Last week, a judge revoked an order to remove the statue, allowing it to be uncovered once more.
(FOX WTXF Philadelphia)
For centuries, Columbus was credited with the discovery of the Americas, but along that course, the European pioneer was found to have mistreated indigenous peoples already on the land.
PHILADELPHIA WAS ALLOWED TO COVER THE STATUE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS WITH A PLYWOOD BOX
Things really came to a head in 2020, when the statue became a symbol of hate for some and a symbol of an important story for others.
The two groups clashed when supporters of the historical significance protected the statue from vandalism. The confrontation turned violent and people were arrested, according to WTXF.
The plywood box that covers a statue of Christopher Columbus in Philadelphia has been painted in the colors of the Italian flag, as seen in the photo above taken on October 7, 2022.
(Charles Fox/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
As a result of the riots over the 146-year-old statue in South Philadelphia’s Marconi Plaza, the Columbus monument was covered with a box.
DO THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ACCEPT THE DISCARDED STATUE OF COLUMBUS? THAT’S NEWS TO THEM: REPORT
For reasons of public safety, Mayor Jim Kenney ordered the statue removed.
Although Columbus was celebrated as an explorer for centuries, Kenney said he had a “far more infamous” history of enslaving and punishing indigenous people, including amputation of limbs and death.
Kenney’s decision to remove the statue was overturned by a judge who said city officials were unable to prove that the statue posed a threat to public safety.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The judge will also allow a clear structure to be built around the statue.
