A Christopher Columbus statue in Rhode Island was found vandalized with red paint on Columbus Day, days after a similar incident in San Francisco in protest of the federal holiday.
The statue in Providence was covered in paint, with the word “genocide” on it, and was accompanied by a sign saying “stop celebrating genocide,” CNN reported. Police are investigating.
{mosads}The same statue was vandalized in 2017, according to CNN affiliate WJAR.
Red paint was splashed onto the statue in San Francisco on Saturday night, with graffiti that read: “Destroy all monuments of genocide and kill all colonizers,” CNN reported.
Sgt. Michael Andraychak from the San Francisco Police Department told The Hill that a preliminary investigation determined the incident occurred between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
The Hill has reached out to the Providence Police Department for comment on its investigation.
The vandalism comes amid a push in various states for Columbus Day to be renamed Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in recognition of the Native Americans killed or forced out by European settlers.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) voiced her support for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday to commemorate Native Americans.
Updated on Tuesday at 3:14 p.m.