Columbus monument on Waltham Common vandalized

A granite slab commemorating Christopher Columbus was defaced with red paint last Thursday night. The monument, located at the south end of Waltham Common, was a gift of private citizens to honor Italian heritage. The monument has been the target of vandalism multiple times in the past. The recent incident prompted residents to comment on Facebook.

“The Italian community of Waltham paid for that so they are insulting us everytime [sic] they do this,” posted Gerry Beaudoin.

Columbus “was the individual responsible for genocide and enslavement of peoples to the point of societal extinction,” John Perry wrote. “There should be no slab to Columbus there, near a place for real veterans who actually contributed something to our country and our right to free speech and the right to protest (such as this act was).”