"We are the sons of our history"

"We need to deal with the substance of the problem, not the symbols. We must address the present, not try to rewrite the past - and that means we cannot and must not allow ourselves to be drawn into an endless debate about which known historical figure is pure enough or politically correct enough to remain in the public eye". These were the words used by the British premier in an article published in The Telegraph after the death of George Floyd and the subsequent events opened the debate about the controversial figure of Christopher Columbus and other illustrious characters in history. 

Mexican essayist and diplomat Octavio Paz defended the theory that "architecture is the least bribable witness in history". However, in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis, this architecture has become the target of demonstrations in the United States. "The Hispanic identity in the United States as well as the contribution of the Hispanic culture to this nation is part of this country from its origin. It is not something that has been added over the past few decades, but has helped make the United States what it is today. It's a sign of identity even though, unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way," explained The Hispanic Council President Daniel Ureña on the Atalayar radio program that broadcast every Monday on Capital Radio.

In the United States, over the past few years, many cities and states have switched from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. The death of George Floyd has led some protesters to attack the statues that pay homage to this navigator.  Daniel Ureña regretted this type of action and stressed that "many Hispanics see with sadness and indignation how some of their references are attacked. 

"It's a minority that makes a lot of noise and has a lot of capacity to influence public opinion, through the media or social networks" The president of the Hispanic Council, an independent think tank whose mission is to spread the word about America's Hispanic cultural heritage, said. Atalayar's director, Javier Fernández Arribas, believes that countries like Spain "should react with pride and try to make a campaign with all possible means to strengthen the Hispanic culture in the United States and in the world in general". 

For her part, María Saavedra, Doctor in American History from the Universidad Complutense (1998) and researcher at The Hispanic Council has called these attacks on the statues of Christopher Columbus "unjust" and has stressed that the death of George Floyd has nothing to do with the history of this illustrious navigator. "In the United States, it has become clear that violence is responded to with more violence. And racism, with more racism. However, I am personally concerned about Spain where voices have been raised saying that we should check our Columbus monuments". 

María Saavedra referred to the statements made by the coordinator of Podemos Andalucía and president of the Adelante Andalucía parliamentary group, Teresa Rodríguez, about dismantling the statues of Christopher Columbus, as well as those of those who "made their fortunes from the slave trade".  Besides, Barcelona has taken to the streets this Sunday to ask for the removal of the statue of this historical figure and to pay tribute to his arrival in the Catalan capital after his first trip to America. The 57-metre high monument was inaugurated on 1 June 1888 on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona. 

"When it comes to contextualising, we must bear in mind that we had a sailor in the service of the Spanish Crown who for the first time in history managed to leave the European continent, cross the Atlantic, reach America and return. The statues have been raised in honor of this nautical feat. This is something we should take into account," Saavedra said during his speech on the seventh program of Atalayar on Capital Radio. 

In this program, Saavedra has highlighted the progress that "Spain made in the 16th century". "Unlike other colonizations, what the kingdom of Spain did was to incorporate this territory and its citizens into the Spanish monarchy," he explained.  "In 16th century Spain, for the first time in history, a series of laws were created to protect the American subject. No one has written laws like those promoted by Spain at that time," he said.  

Europe responds to racism and police violence 

For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron has made his position very clear regarding the violent protests around the world over the death of George Floyd. "France will not erase any trace or any name from her history; she will not forget her works or remove her statues. We must look at our entire history and our memory together with clarity," said the French president during a speech to the nation. "We stand firm against racism, but when this noble struggle turns into communitarianism, into a hateful or false rewriting of the past, it is unacceptable," he added. 

The president of The Hispanic Council, Daniel Ureña, considers this position to be the "most correct". "We are sons of our history, of the most positive chapters but also of the most negative. Macron's position is the most sensible one," he said, before stressing - addressing mainly a younger audience - the need to "not be ashamed of our Hispanicness," since it has been "something very positive with its lights and shadows. France, like other European countries, has been the scene of several protests against racism and police violence in recent weeks. 

In the midst of this political and social instability, rumors have grown about the health of the U.S. president, specifically after a political rally at West Point. Trump, who turned 74 this Monday, had to use both hands to get a glass of water, as well as having difficulty going down the ramp from the place where he had given his speech. 

Racial tension, the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting recession have influenced the economic structure of the American giant, according to a study published by the World Competitiveness Report of the Swiss business school IMD on Tuesday. This report reveals that the U.S. economy, which was leading in 2018, has fallen to number ten.

The United States is suffering a triple economic, political and social crisis that has exposed the weaknesses of this great power. Even so, in this scenario, the US Supreme Court ruled on Monday that LGBT workers are protected against employment discrimination.