On August 23, protesters gathered around the fascist Balbo monument located adjacent to the Chicago police memorial, demanding that the monument be taken down. This monument had been gifted to the city of Chicago in 1933 by Italian fascist Benito Mussolini. Protesters also demanded renaming Balbo Drive after Ida B. Wells.
On the monument, one can read in part: “Fascist Italy with the sponsorship of Benito Mussolini presents to Chicago.” What had started as a picketline then turned into a march through the museum district. The march ended in front of another racist statue of Christopher Columbus.
Chants during the picket and march included, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, fascist monuments have to go!” and “Fascist monuments, shut it down, the whole damn system, shut down!” A heavy police presence protected both the Balbo monument and the Columbus statue.
John Beacham of ANSWER Chicago stated that the Balbo Monument “Celebrates fascism, and to me, represents [that] the United States has a real systemic problem with white supremacy and racism.I’ll say straight up to Mayor Emanuel ‘you needto take this monument down.’ There’s no excuse.”
The people all over the country will continue to organize and topple every fascist and racist symbol in their cities and communities.
