Statue of Christopher Columbus(Photo: Bebeto Matthews, AP)

The city of Columbus, Ohio, will not be observing for the first time this year the controversial federal holiday celebrating its namesake, the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.

Closing of the city's offices is scheduled for Veterans Day in November, but a spokesman for the Mayor's office said the decision was not motivated by moves to replace Christopher's Day. Columbus by Aboriginal Peoples Day, a party held on the same day to commemorate the Indians of America.

Critics say the party honors the mass genocide and colonization of the Amerindians who lived in the Americas long before Christopher Columbus arrived in October 1492, while Italian-American organizations say the movement is occurring in the Americas. price of a moment to celebrate their ethnic heritage.

The capital of Ohio is the most populous city named Columbus, with 860,000 inhabitants at the 2016 census in the United States. The city, however, is running out of money to give its 8,500 employees Veterans Day and the Columbus day off, said Robin Davis, spokesman for Mayor Andrew Ginther.

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"We have a number of veterans working for the city, and there are so many here in Columbus," Davis said. "We thought it was important to honor them with this day off."

Several cities and states have replaced Columbus Day with Aboriginal Peoples Day or Native American Day, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and Denver, as well as South Dakota and Alaska.

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In his Columbus Day proclamation for each of the last two years, President Trump did not mention Native Americans, unlike former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. He praised the courage and the Columbus journey, along with the proclamations of President George W. Bush.

"In celebrating the enormous progress made by our nation since its arrival, we recognize the important contributions of Italo-Americans to the culture, business and civic life of our country," reads the proclamation published Saturday.

In November, the Democratic National Committee issued a statement on Native American Heritage Month, in which it discussed the party's commitment to American Indians and the Amerindians of Alaska and discussed the violence against the community sanctioned by the government.

"We must never forget these dark chapters of our history, and we must continue to strengthen the tribal sovereignty and self-determination of tribal nations," the statement said. "Unfortunately, the Trump administration has shown a deep contempt for the sovereign rights of Native Americans." The president proposed a border wall that would cross Native American lands, a budget forecasting cuts of more than $ 300 million. dollars for the US Department of Indian Affairs The budget of Indian Affairs Interior and its advisers have repeatedly pleaded for the privatization of Indian lands and resources. "

Contribute: The Associated Press

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