FILE- In this Oct. 14, 1996, file photo, a model of the "Santa Maria," one of Christopher Columbus' three ships, is pulled up New York's Fifth Avenue in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral during the 56th Columbus Day Parade. A movement to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day has new momentum but the gesture to recognize victims of European colonialism has also prompted howls of outrage from some Italian Americans, who say eliminating their festival of ethnic pride is culturally insensitive, too. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)
October 08, 2017 - 11:44 AM
NEW YORK - The Latest on a movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day (all times local):
2:40 p.m.
A wreath-laying ceremony at a New York statue of Christopher Columbus the day before the Columbus Day holiday has been interrupted briefly by demonstrators speaking out against honouring the Italian explorer.
Two of the three protesters were dressed in fake chains. One wore a hooded white sheet. They spoke out before being escorted away Sunday. The New York Police Department says one person was arrested.
A movement to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day is gaining momentum. But the gesture to recognize victims of European colonialism also has outraged Italian-Americans. They say eliminating their festival of ethnic pride is culturally insensitive.
Thirty-five thousand people are expected to march in Monday's Columbus Day parade in New York. Activists calling for the city to change the name are expected to hold a demonstration.
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10:05 a.m.
A movement to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day is gaining momentum.
Los Angeles recently became the biggest city yet to stop honouring the Italian explorer. Austin, Texas, followed suit last week.
But the gesture to recognize victims of European colonialism has also outraged Italian-Americans.
They say eliminating their festival of ethnic pride is culturally insensitive.
The debate over Columbus' legacy is an old one, but it became emotionally charged after a similar debate in the South over monuments to Confederate generals flared into violence at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
One attempt to dump Columbus Day in Akron, Ohio, opened a racial rift on the city council.
In New York City, where 35,000 people will march in Monday's Columbus Day parade, vandals recently doused a Columbus statue in red paint.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017