Italian Americans File Discrimination Lawsuit Over Removal of Columbus Statue in Ohio Namesake City

A group of Italian Americans at Columbus, Ohio, is suing over a 2020 decision to remove a statue of the city’s namesake, Christopher Columbus, arguing that the move was discriminatory.Amid the racial justice protests in 2020, Columbus removed the statue of the explorer, after demonstrators suggested that the figure symbolized racism and oppression. The statue was displayed outside the city hall. Columbus’s mayor, Andrew Ginther, said that the statue represented “patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness” and that it should be replaced with art that represented diversity and inclusion.In a federal lawsuit filed this week, Italian-American organizations and residents of Italian-American descent are asking for the 22-foot statue to be returned to its place. The plaintiffs say the statue is “the most important piece of public art in all of Ohio,” and that the city did not receive approval from the Historic Commission before it was removed.The complaint says that Mr. Ginther “singled out the Italian American community for a public whipping boy ” by removing the statue.“No other racial or ethnic group was targeted … to be the subject of this discrimination, and such defendants chose Christopher Columbus — the preeminent representative of the Italian-American community — to accomplish their unlawful goal,” the plaintiffs say.The lawsuit also argues that the removal violates the 1955 sister cities agreement with Genoa under which the statue was delivered to Columbus.“This statue was donated to the City of Columbus with the express understanding and requirement that it be prominently displayed outside Columbus City Hall,” the lawsuit states.The statue has been kept in storage since 2020. In 2025, there was a proposal for a new park where the statue could be displayed, but there has been no progress.The plaintiffs also argue that federal agencies have violated the National Historic Preservation Act by allowing federal funds to go to Columbus without making inquiries about the statue’s removal. As a result of removing the Columbus statue, the plaintiffs say their Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated.In a statement to a local TV station, ABC 6, Mr. Ginther said that the city has been “engaged in a very long-term planning process about what makes sense for the statue moving forward.” However, he said he could not comment on the lawsuit.

Italian Americans File Discrimination Lawsuit Over Removal of Columbus Statue in Ohio Namesake City

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