California officials announce the removal of a Christopher Columbus statue from the state capitol saying the image of the 'deeply polarizing historical figure' is 'completely out of place today'

California officials have announced a Christopher Columbus statue will be removed from the state capitol, saying the presence of the 'deeply polarizing historical figure' is 'completely out of place today'.

Legislative leaders issued a joint statement Tuesday revealing that the statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella will be taken down from the Capitol Rotunda, where it has stood for more than a century.  

'Christopher Columbus is a deeply polarizing historical figure given the deadly impact his arrival in this hemisphere had on indigenous populations,' Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Assembly Rules Chair Ken Cooley said in a statement. 

'The continued presence of this statue in California's Capitol, where it has been since 1883, is completely out of place today. It will be removed.'

The move comes as statues, flags and displays of Confederate or racist symbols and historical figures are being removed across America, amid widespread protests calling for an end to systemic racism following the death of black man George Floyd at the hands of a white cop in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. 

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The removal of the statues (above) comes as statues, flags and displays of Confederate or racist symbols and historical figures are being removed across America, amid widespread protests calling for an end to systemic racism 

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California officials have announced a Christopher Columbus statue (pictured) will be removed from the state capitol, saying the presence of the 'deeply polarizing historical figure' is 'completely out of place today'

The statue's removal, which shows Columbus successfully asking Isabella to support his 1492 voyage to the Americas, marks a historical moment as it has been displayed in the capitol building since 1883. 

The controversial figure was donated to the state by Sacramento banker Darius Ogden Mills and dedicated to his brother, a former Capitol commissioner, according to the California State Capitol Museum. 

The statue became synonymous over the years with lobbyists and legislative staff tossing coins into Isabella's crown on the final night of session, although the tradition was banned in 2016 after the statue was damaged. 

It is not clear when the statute will be taken down or whether it will be replaced by a person of color, as has been confirmed with other figures removed in recent weeks. 

It is also not certain where the statue will go, though historian Alex Vassar said on Twitter the Mills family in the 1980s asked for it to be returned to the family if it was not to be displayed any longer.   

The removal of the statue, which comes around 50 years after the Native Sons of the Golden West called for its removal in the 1970s, has sparked some debate. 

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Legislative leaders issued a joint statement (above) Tuesday revealing that the statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella will be taken down from the Capitol Rotunda

Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez welcomed the news saying children need to learn about 'real heroes'. 

'It's important that children today learn the difference between real heroes and fake ones,' she said on Twitter.

But Roger Niello, a former Republican assemblymember from Sacramento, blasted the move tweeting: 'I guess now if we don't like part of our history we just erase it.' 

Commemorations of Columbus have divided America for years, with his arrival in continental US in 1492 unleashing centuries of European colonisation and slavery, making him a symbol of violence to Native Americans. 

However, he continues to be an important symbol to the Italian American population.

When millions of Italian immigrants arrived on US soil in the late 1880s and faced xenophobia, the Italian explorer became a figure for Italian immigrants to hold on to.   

Some states including Michigan, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia have renamed Columbus Day - the public holiday held on the second Monday in October each year - 'Indigenous Peoples' Day' in recent years to recognize the native populations that were colonized by the explorer. 

California has so far stopped short of joining these states, with Governor Gavin Newsom last year declaring October 14 2019 'Indigenous Peoples' Day' in the state but only for one day rather than writing it into state law for each year.

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The removal of the statue has divided opinion. Columbus unleashed centuries of European colonisation and slavery on the US, making him a symbol of violence to Native Americans, however, he is an important symbol to the Italian American population

This came after state Senator Henry Stern's failed attempt to rename the holiday in 2018 - though the state has not shuttered schools and workplaces for the day since 2008.  

Nationwide, Columbus Day continues to be a federal holiday, meaning it is recognized by the US government but individual states can choose not to observe a federal holiday and change the name and intent of the holiday.

October was named Italian American Heritage Month in 2018 as a way to honor Italian Americans this month without specifically referencing Columbus or Columbus Day.  

The ousting of the Columbus statue comes as outrage over Floyd's death has reignited calls for the removal of racist and Confederate statues across the nation. 

Several officials and institutions have pledged to remove them while, in some cases, protesters have taken matters into their own hands and toppled monuments linked to the Confederacy and slavery. 

A statue of settler John Sutter, who helped colonize California and is believed to have enslaved Native Americans, was removed from outside the Sutter Health Medical Center near the state capitol this week. 

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A statue of settler John Sutter, who helped colonize California and is believed to have enslaved Native Americans, was removed from outside the Sutter Health Medical Center near the state capitol this week (pictured)

Meanwhile, a Christopher Columbus statue was beheaded in Boston last week and another torn down and thrown in a lake in Richmond.

A statue of Thomas Jefferson outside an Oregon high school named after him was toppled by a group of protesters during a demonstration this weekend. 

Officials in several other states including Virginia, Alabama and Florida have backed the removal of other Confederate statues while the US Navy and US Marine Corps have both banned Confederate flags from public places. 

There are still 776 Confederate monuments across the US, according to Southern Poverty Law Center. 

The removal of the figures has fallen along political lines, with the Democrats welcoming the move while the Republicans have voiced anger.  

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week said it was the 'perfect time' to rid Capitol Hill  of the 11 remaining Confederate statues on display, saying they 'pay homage to hate, not heritage.' 

However, Republican lawmakers have pushed back, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel blasting what he called attempts to 'airbrush' history and saying he was only open to renaming military bases named after Confederate leaders but not removing Confederate statues.