CARACAS, Venezuela, Oct. 12 (UPI) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is urging Latin Americans to boycott Monday’s Columbus Day celebrations.
Christopher Columbus’ 1492 arrival to America triggered a 150-year** “invasion” of native Indians by foreign conquerors, who behaved “worse than Hitler,”** Chavez said during a meeting in Caracas attended by representatives of the indigenous population in South America.
Even the continent’s geographical names, such as America and Venezuela, were created and imposed by foreigners, the BBC reported Chavez said.
Chavez suggested instead of celebrating Columbus, the second Monday of October should be remembered as the “Day of Indian Resistance.”
In his speech, Chavez praised Indian chiefs who had fought against the invaders, such as Sitting Bull, who defeated Gen. George Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876.
President Richard Nixon made Columbus Day a national holiday in 1971.
I did’nt even know latin america celebrated Columbus day if they do then they need to get a reality check! Columbus brought nothing but disaster to the native indians and the latin continent!
No matter what anybody believes, the fact is Columbus discovered nothing. He was just a Euro who made it across the ocean and started the process of ethnic cleansing of the local people of America.
I don't know who Chavez is, what he has done, and what he wants to do. I will read up on it. But, on this Columbus point, he tells the truth. Plain and simple.
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*Originally posted by xguru: *
No matter what anybody believes, the fact is Columbus discovered nothing. He was just a Euro who made it across the ocean and started the process of ethnic cleansing of the local people of America.
I don't know who Chavez is, what he has done, and what he wants to do. I will read up on it. But, on this Columbus point, he tells the truth. Plain and simple.
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chavez is president of venezuela, one of the largest oil producing country in the world and like ME, america wants to control its oil reserves so bush went after him, declaring him a dictator and enemy of democracy when infact he is very popular amongst the poor. its only the rich who doesn't like him because they are not earning much bcos fo his policies and most rich were making billions by selling and privitazing everything, stuffing all the money into their accounts. he came into power and took control of everything. so these rich went crying to USA and tolf them that until this madman is in power, we can't make any money and thus there won't be any money and most importantly no cheaper oil for USA so bush decided to over-throw chavez and few attempts had been made in the past to over throw him but he is still in power.
President Richard Nixon made Columbus Day a national holiday in 1971.
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That is akin to making a national holiday for Adolf Hitler. Though Columbus and his butchering hordes probably ended up wiping out more people than Hitler did?
It is ridiclulous to compare trader and explorer Columbus to a man who tried to wipe Jews off the face of the earth. Columbus' plan wasn't to conduct ethnic cleansing as is popular to claim, but to find a trade route to Asia. It unfair to blame him for all the exploitative and predatory practices that resulted with the colonization of the Americas
