The Stream

Spanish Twitter slams Columbus holiday as ‘nothing to celebrate’

Spaniards challenge historical narratives with #NadaQueCelebrar.

October 12 is celebrated as National Day in Spain, marking Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. For some, however, the history of Spain’s encounter with North and South America is underserving of commemoration.

 

On Twitter, many called for Spanish citizens to remember the slave trade and mass killings of indigenous people that took place following the explorer’s arrival.

 

Images and tweets were shared on #NadaQueCelebrar or “Nothing to celebrate”, which has been used more than 90,000 times in the past day.