‘American Taliban.’ Ted Cruz sounds off after protesters topple Columbus statues
Count Texas Senator Ted Cruz among those who do not agree with the dismounting of Christopher Columbus statues across the United States.
Cruz sent several tweets or retweets Wednesday and Thursday voicing his displeasure about the incidents that have taken place in several U.S. cities this week. Protesters have taken down or vandalized statues of Columbus due to his scrutinized treatment of indigenous tribes.
Sharing an ABC News video of a Columbus statue being taken down in St. Paul, Minnesota, Cruz simply wrote “American Taliban.”
In a series of tweets Thursday, he shared his disagreement with Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who said “Columbus literally started a genocide” against the indigenous people when he reached what is now the United States.
Cruz responded, “No, he didn’t commit genocide, ‘literally’ or otherwise.’”
“He did discover the New World, which led to colonizers, some of whom inadvertently brought disease,” the senator continued. ”Is it your position that it’s inherently immoral to come to America from a foreign land? I’m glad my dad came from Cuba.”
The nationwide protests began following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a now-fired Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes.
Protesters have called for equality for black people, universal police reform and for certain cultural symbols to be removed.
Some statues of Confederate leaders have been removed by protesters or city leaders. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he “will not even consider” renaming the 10 Army bases named after Confederate generals.
The debate has also led to the discussion about Columbus statues. Some say they celebrate the colonization of the indigenous people. There’s also been a push in some cities to ditch the Columbus Day holiday and rename it Indigenous Peoples’ Day, McClatchy News previously reported.
A 93-year-old Columbus statue was taken down in Virginia and thrown in a lake, McClatchy News reported.
A similar statue in Boston was found headless Wednesday, WCVB reported.
And in Houston, a Columbus statue was vandalized with red paint, the Houston Chronicle reported.
A member of a Native American advocacy group said “the time for being complacent is over” regarding dismounting the St. Paul statue.
“This has been an ongoing conversation that we’ve been having for years with people who occupy this building (the capitol),” Mike Forcia told KMSP. “It’s always ‘you got to wait; there’s a process you got to go through.’‘”
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 10:23 AM with the headline "‘American Taliban.’ Ted Cruz sounds off after protesters topple Columbus statues."