'Nothing to celebrate' - Indigenous groups dance in Madrid to protest 'genocide' ahead of Spain's National Day

'Nothing to celebrate' - Indigenous groups dance in Madrid to protest 'genocide' ahead of Spain's National Day

"Activists from Latin American native groups staged a rally celebrating their traditions with dances and rituals in Madrid on Saturday to denounce Columbus Day, which they deemed a reminder of 'genocide' instead of 'discovery'. The event also came ahead of Spain's National Day, which is annually marked on October 12. Footage shows artists from the Mapuche and other indigenous tribes of Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru performing traditional dances in ceremonial attire before gathered crowds. Activists also displayed banners condemning October 12, the day of Christopher Columbus's discovery of America, and referred to the Gardens of Discovery at Plaza de Colon, where the event was held, as the 'Gardens of Genocide'. "Our Mapuche Wallmapu nation and other indigenous peoples have nothing to celebrate. We have not been discovered; we are an invaded, plundered, massacred and imprisoned people, disappeared by the states of Argentina and Chile," stated Flor Calfunao Paillalef, Mapuche ambassador to the United Nations. The event, dubbed '12 October: Nothing to Celebrate', was called by the platform 'Let's Decolonise Ourselves'. The event featured various collectives and performers coming from 'former colonies' in Latin America, according to organisers. The 'Nothing to Celebrate' protests began twelve years ago as a call to mobilise Latin American Natives to denounce genocide rather than to celebrate Spain's National Day, which demonstrators consider a day of conquest. On October 12, Spain celebrates National Day, commemorating the country's legacy to the world and the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America in 1492."