US town defies wokery by putting up statue on Columbus Day amid name changing row

It comes after Native American advocates argued that Columbus isn’t an appropriate person to celebrate.

However, Johnston, Rhode Island has defied critics and put up the statue which had been removed in 2020 after being defaced repeatedly by vandals.

Columbus imposed brutal punishments on many Indigenous people, using them to mine gold as they faced amputation or death if they came up short.

It is estimated that in the 130 years following first contact, Native America lost 95 per cent of its population.

The federal Columbus Day holiday - created in 1934 - has been replaced by Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 14 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 communities.

But on Monday, the town unveiled the monument in a local park where several protesters turned up.

However, the group were drowned out by the hundreds who gathered to celebrate.

The statue was created by Auguste Bartholdi for the 1892 Columbian Exposition in Chicago marking the 400th anniversary of the explorer’s voyage.

Former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino bought the statue and donated it to the town of Johnston.

In September, ahead of the statue’s arrival in his town, he said: “It means a lot.

“You know, we have a high percentage of Italian Americans here in Johnston, but it goes beyond Italian-American history.

“It’s worth history. It’s important, and I don’t think the majority of people want to see the statue melted.

"So we’re very grateful to Mayor Paolino for donating it to Johnston.”