Climate activists hurl red paint at Christopher Columbus mural
Security jumped in and grabbed protesters who smeared red pain on a Christopher Columbus mural in Madrid El Pais
MADRID — A pair of climate activists were arrested Sunday after throwing red paint on a historic mural of Christopher Columbus at Madrid’s Naval Museum in a dramatic protest caught on video.
The vandals, members of the radical group Futuro Vegetal (“Vegetarian Future”), targeted First Tribute to Christopher Columbus, a large mural painted in 1892 by Jose Garnelo. Footage shows two women hurling red paint on the artwork before being confronted by a security guard and restrained with the help of bystanders.
The activists also displayed a banner reading, “October 12, nothing to celebrate. Ecosocial justice,” highlighting their objection to the holiday, which Spain observes on October 12 in commemoration of Columbus’ 1492 voyage, while the United States celebrates Columbus Day on Monday.
According to El País, the two were taken into custody by museum security and later arrested on charges related to crimes against cultural heritage. Luna Lagos, a spokesperson for Futuro Vegetal, said the protest was meant to draw attention to the “centuries of oppression and genocide against the indigenous peoples of Abya Yala,” the indigenous name for the Americas.
The group staged another protest Sunday at the Reina Sofia Museum, staging a sit-in around Pablo Picasso’s Guernica.
While Columbus’ legacy is controversial, he is widely credited with opening the Americas to European settlement and remains a figure of national pride for Italians and Italian-Americans, including communities in New York City.
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