Protesters clash as Columbus statue is removed in New Haven

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Protesters clashed in brief skirmishes Wednesday before workers removed a Christopher Columbus statue in a historical Italian American section of New Haven.

Opponents and supporters of the 1892 statue in Wooster Square Park shouted at each other and shoved each other in a few instances. On video posted on social media, a statue supporter is seen taking a swing at a statue opponent, who hit the supporter with a megaphone.

Police took a man into custody after he allegedly pushed an anti-statue protester.

Demonstrators gathered at the park early in the morning, hours before the statue was hoisted off its base by a crane and taken away around 1 p.m.

Columbus supporters called the statue an important symbol of Italian American heritage, while opponents condemned Columbus as a white supremacist who touched off centuries of European oppression and the decimation of Indigenous peoples.

The city Parks Commission voted last week to take down the statue amid demands by many city residents, including Italian Americans, and removals of other Columbus statues around the country.

City officials say there’s a plan to move the monument to the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven.

“I know that there are some people who strongly disagree with the decision to remove the statute,” Mayor Justin Elicker said in a statement. “People have the right to protest and express their opinions peacefully. We will work collaboratively to ensure we honor New Haven’s Italian Heritage and immigrant history.”

Elicker also said he was disappointed with the violence.

Rose Monaco was among the supporters of the statue.

“This is part of our history, good, bad or indifferent,” the former city resident told the New Haven Register. “You cannot just throw away history. What he did was an important part of history. I don’t condone any bad things that occurred.”

Columbus statues in Middletown and New London have been taken down already, while one in Hartford also is scheduled to be removed.