The Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL) has called for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to withdraw as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, accusing him of racist remarks and failing to protect the Christopher Columbus statue during the 2020 protests following George Floyd’s death.
IACRL board member Mike Crispi criticized Walz for allowing the statue, which represented Italian American culture, to be destroyed by rioters, claiming that his inaction contributed to widespread chaos and violence in Minnesota.
Crispi alleges that Walz and his staff colluded with anti-Italian activists to justify the statue’s removal, framing it as part of a broader attack on Western traditions.
The Italian American Civil Rights League on Friday accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of "racism" for supporting the removal of Christopher Columbus statues and demanded that Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate "drop out" of the 2024 election. MORE: https://t.co/1kDlmy0fQG pic.twitter.com/XywaDBFzJi
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) August 9, 2024
“Tim Walz did nothing to stop radical vandals from targeting the most prominent symbol of Italian- American culture in a flagrant hate crime,” Crispi said. “He knew they were coming and he did nothing to protect the statue.”
“His record as Governor in Minnesota is the most disgraceful record of any governor in the last decade,” Crispi added. “From allowing rioters to pillage and plunder to standing-down when the mob came for the Columbus statue, Walz allowed the North Star State to become an exemplar of cultural Marxism run amok.”
“In order to placate indigenous activists and other anti-Italian-American sympathizers, Walz and his cronies colluded to keep the statue down,” Crispi said. “They hate the Western tradition that made America great and they will do anything to undermine it and destroy our country from within.”
“It was an act of civil disobedience that we need to make sure people feel that there is a proper outlet to address what are legitimate concerns around what they view as a genocidal monument that they have to walk through in their democracy,” Walz said previously.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris and Walz have continued their campaign, focusing on labor issues and criticizing former President Donald Trump’s policies as they have toured battleground states.
