Remove the Galway Christopher Columbus Statue Now!

Why is the man credited with the first colonial voyage to the present day Americas, and the subsequent genocide of the Indigenous people celebrated in this city and on this island?  It is time that this monument is removed and replaced with a piece of art that reflects a meaningful historic connection that the people of Galway have with the Americas. 

This statue sits on public land in the centre of the city, and so it must represent a part of our story or cultural heritage. The statue seemingly commemorates a voyage that Columbus may have taken to Galway in 1477, though the evidence of when (and if) this trip took place is limited. 

The sculpture was commissioned by Columbus's hometown of Genoa in 1992 to commemorate the 500 years since Columbus set sail across the Atlantic, initiating the genocidal conquest of the Americas and the attempted erasure of ancient cultures that were at home there for thousands of years when Columbus seemingly 'discovered' it. 

Furthermore, Galway stands with the Indigenous people of the Americas, as we stand with the people of Palestine who are today experiencing the same settler colonial ethnic cleansing by Israel and supported by their Western allies. 

It is time that this sculpture which sits on public land is removed and replaced with something that has historic meaning for the people of Galway.