Supporters of Syracuse’s Columbus monument gathered downtown in Columbus Circle Saturday for a rally to save the statue. In 2020, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced he intended for the statue to be moved from its current location, and was met with a lawsuit from statue supporters. An initial decision from a local judge that barred the city from removing the statue was overturned in July.
For statue supporters like Anthony Ilacqua, a descendant of one of the statue’s benefactors, the statue is a symbol of pride and removing it would erase part of his history.
“This statue is about the immigrant experience,” Ilacqua said. “It’s about pride in our ethnic background and love for this country. It’s that combination, it’s what it means. It’s why it was put there.”
City Councilor Pat Hogan said the monument is an important part of Syracuse's history.
“We can't be a city that welcomes immigrants, an open city like that, and then turn our back on immigrant past,” Hogan said.
Not everyone agrees with that. A small counter rally gathered across the street from the monument, holding signs saying things like “Celebrate Diversity, Replace Columbus.” For Christian Spies-Rusk, the statue is not about history, it’s about glory.
“To me, it just glories a murderer, a mercenary, who worked for a monarchy and did the typical, horrendous genocide things,” Spies-Rusk said.
Police were called to the rally after a few pro- and anti-statue protesters began shouting at each other. Syracuse police officers were able to de-escalate the situation and the rally broke up peacefully shortly after.
Many communities across the country have chosen to mark the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day, rather than Columbus Day, to remember and honor Native American history and culture.
