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Walz faces criticism for stance on Columbus statues, called to drop VP bid

TheItalian American Civil Rights League (IACRL) is calling on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to drop out as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the race for the White House.

IACRL board member Mike Crispi on Thursdaydescribed Walz as "an enemy" of the Italian American community, saying the governor "has a long history of being in favor of erasing our culture" and "strongly" supporting the removal of Christopher Columbus statues.

"We will call it for what it is: racism," Crispi wrote in a post on X. @TheIACRL demands he drops out."

The post included a statement, with Crispi alleging that "private emails" from members of Walz's staff indicate the governor's goal is to "placate indigenous activists and other anti-Italian-American sympathizers."

Walz, a two-term governor, was elected in 2018. Photos from 2020 show people stomping on a Columbus statue after it was toppled in front of the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul.

Another image shows Gabriel Black Elk, who is Lakota, kneeling on the neck of the fallen statue and holding an American flag with the names of Native Americans killed by police.

Crispi said it is disgraceful that Walz allowed "left-wing" criminals to vandalize the statue, as well as disrespect Italian-Americans.

"His record as Governor in Minnesota is the most disgraceful record of any governor in the last decade," Crispi noted in the statement. "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."

TheIACRL has endorsed former President Donald Trump for the 2024 election,

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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