Protesters plan Seattle anti-Columbus Day rally, march

Hundreds are expected to gather Monday at Seattle’s Westlake Park for an annual Columbus Day protest.

“Columbus is a symbol of colonialism, imperialism, and genocide,” says a post on the Facebook page promoting Monday’s event.

Organizers are planning a rally and march to the John T. Williams memorial totem pole at Seattle Center, then on to Seattle’s Christopher Columbus statue on the city’s waterfront. Protesters in the past have thrown paint on the statue.

“In the name of Spain and the motives of resource extraction (capitalism), he spurred the largest genocide in the world. And it’s still happening to indigenous people the globe over,” said a post on the organizer’s Facebook page. The organizers are a group calling itself the Old Growth Alliance.

The protest begins at 4 p.m.