COLUMBUS WAS A KILLER!

Christopher Columbus was not a heroic “explorer” but a European colonist, invader, and enslaver whose 1492 voyage, sponsored by Spain, opened the door to centuries of genocide, land theft, and forced assimilation across Abya Yala (a term used by many Indigenous peoples for the Americas). To Indigenous nations such as the Taíno and Arawak, Columbus represents not discovery but destruction: the beginning of mass enslavement, disease, and the systematic erasure of entire civilisations.

The painting "First Tribute to Christopher Columbus" in Madrid glorifies this invasion, portraying him as a visionary rather than the architect of violent conquest. Celebrations like Columbus Day continue to whitewash these atrocities, erasing Indigenous suffering, resistance, and survival.

Activists from @futurovegetal threw red biodegradable paint at the artwork to symbolise the bloodshed since 1492, the blood of Indigenous peoples massacred, enslaved, and dispossessed by European colonisers. Their act is a demand for truth, for history to recognise Columbus not as a discoverer but as the initiator of genocide and imperial domination.

Video Credit: @futurovegetal