Posted on March 24, 2021

Republicans Want Columbus Statue Restored to Capitol Campus

Associated Press, March 17, 2021

A Minnesota Senate committee on Wednesday approved a Republican plan to restore a statue of Christopher Columbus to the Capitol grounds, where it was torn down by demonstrators last summer.

The Senate’s State Government Committee voted to repair and return the statue, an idea that one Democratic lawmaker called a “giant slap in the face” to Native Americans. {snip}

Republican Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, of Alexandria, said the statue was an initiative of the state’s Italian American community {snip}

“There seems to be a push to remove our history here in Minnesota and our country, and quite frankly that’s the wrong direction,” said Ingebrigtsen, who sponsored the measure.

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