WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2022) The mayor of the Puerto Rican capital San Juan, Miguel Romero, said the toppling of a statue of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon by protesters earlier in the day is an act of vandalism.
"The most important thing at the end of the day is to protect the right of freedom of expression but there's no excuse to justify an act of vandalism on property belonging to the Puerto Rican community," Romero said in an interview with local media on Monday.
Protesters knocked over a statue of Ponce de Leon located in the historic San Juan district ahead of a visit from Spanish King Felipe VI.
The statue was damaged but quickly repaired and returned on display in time for the King's visit, according to media reports.
The famous Spanish explorer led the colonization of Puerto Rico in the 1500s and served as its first governor. Puerto Rico remained a colony of the European nation until the end of the Spanish-American war in 1898.
