Christopher Columbus statues torn down in Virginia and Boston

RICHMOND, Va./BOSTON (WPRI/WRIC) — During protests over the past few days, statues of figures connected to slavery and colonialism have been toppled and vandalized around the world.

Boston Police are investigating the beheading of a statue of Christopher Columbus.

Decapitated overnight, the statue is located at Christopher Columbus Park on Boston Harbor.

The statue has been defaced before: In 2015, the statue was covered in fake blood, with the phrase “Black Lives Matter” spray-painted on its base. In 2006, Columbus’s head was stolen, and was missing for about a week before it was recovered and repaired. There has been no word on any arrests in the most recent incident.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, a Columbus statue at Richmond’s Byrd Park fell to the hands of protesters Tuesday.

Witnesses say around 8:30 p.m., protesters used three ropes to pull the statue down. After toppling the statue, they dragged it to the nearby Landing at Fountain Lake, where it was left submerged.

One protester involved says the action was not planned, however, explaining that the act was a build-up over time after chants of “tear it down.”

Earlier Tuesday evening, demonstrators marched down Arthur Ashe Boulevard en route to Byrd Park: