BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Police in Springfield are investigating after a statue of Christopher Columbus and a veteran's war memorial were vandalized over the weekend.
According to Masslive, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has denounced the vandalism, which appears to have happened late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
The monument sits at the intersection of Main and Locust Streets. It features Columbus, who was born in Italy, standing on a base bearing the names of dozens of Italian-American soldiers who lost their lives in war.
Masslive reports the veterans memorial and the Columbus statue had been cleaned off by Sunday afternoon, although Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno did not give details about how the monument was vandalized.
"This memorial stands in honor of Italian-Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country so that all Americans might enjoy the freedoms that we have had," said Sarno. "This unfortunate incident is not unlike the vandalism that occurred to our Black Vietnam Veteran Memorial Monument ... At that time, I denounced those actions and ordered restoration of that monument immediately. I will do the same here."
Police are investigating the incident.
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