Indians plan anti-Columbus Day march

DENVER, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- An American Indian group plans demonstrations during Denver’s Columbus Day celebration to demand the repeal of the holiday.

The splinter group of the American Indian Movement announced Monday four marches will converge on the state Capitol at 8 a.m. Saturday, the Rocky Mountain News reported. The official parade begins at 10 a.m.

Shannon Francis of Littleton, Colo., a member of the Hopi and Dine tribes, said Columbus Day is not a celebration of the landing of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in the Americas but of an invasion of the native peoples' land by a foreign power.

"As we move into the 100th anniversary of Columbus Day, this is basically something that affects my family directly," she said during a news conference in Denver.

Glenn Spagnuolo of Progressive Italians Transforming the Columbus Holiday or PITCH, said Columbus Day does not represent a real Italian tradition. He said some protesters will be coming from Italy to support the Indians.