Rally in Rodney Square calls for restoring of statues – The News Journal

Raw Video: 'Restore our Historical Monuments Protest' Delaware News Journal

Standing below where the former Caesar Rodney statue stood in Wilmington's Rodney Square, Delaware Republican U.S. Senate candidate Lauren Witzke on Tuesday called for the statue's return more than two months after the City of Wilmington removed it.

The rally, organized by Witzke, also called for the return of the Christopher Columbus statue, which was located about a mile away closer to Trolley Square.

"We are calling for the restoration of our historicalmonuments," Witzke said to the around 30 people who attended.

"They're coming for our churches next," Witzke said. "All of our institutions, they're not safe against the Marxist mob."

Around 30 people attended the rally, called the "Restore our Historical Monuments Protest."

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Witzke spoke out against the current state of governments, which she said was "catering to Black Lives Matter Marxists." She later attacked Sen. Chris Coons for marching with "rioters and looters" during unrest in Wilmington in June.

Other speakers included Brice Ingram, a volunteer for the Witzke campaign. He called Black Lives Matter and Antifa a "battering ram" against the working class.

In words directed at what he called "the adversary," Witzke campaign staffer Jeremy Abbott said, "If you come for our families, we will show you a history of the second amendment."

In defense of the Columbus statue, Thomas Giorgispoke about the long history of racism directed toward Italian-Americans in this country.

Wilmington Police officers on bicycles were on hand across Market Street. Witzke asked the crowd to give them a round of applause and called for more funding and resources for police departments.

"We back the blue," she told them as a few waved back and smiled. "We love you and we have your back."

The protest started around 6:30 p.m. and lasted about 40 minutes. Itturned into a de facto campaign rally for Witzke, who will run in a September 15 primary against Jim DeMartino, who has been endorsed by the Delaware GOP.

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Contact Jeff Neiburg at jneiburg@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeff_Neiburg.

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Rally in Rodney Square calls for restoring of statues - The News Journal