Columbus Day: Whitewashing genocide or celebrating discovery?
#IndigenousPeopleDay campaigners call to replace US federal holiday.
The man credited with discovering the Americas is not a hero for everyone. Some Twitter users are railing against the US celebration of Columbus Day, marked every second Monday in October. The holiday commemorates Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492.
Critics of the holiday say Columbus was involved in enslavement and mass killings of the continent’s indigenous peoples. They also reject the idea that the continent was “discovered” in 1492.
The hashtag #AbolishColumbusDay is currently trending in the United States, with nearly 4,000 mentions so far.
Published On 13 Oct 2014