NEW YORK — Cheers, and a few jeers, echoed down Fifth Avenue on Monday as Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio joined thousands of New Yorkers for the return of the annual Columbus Day Parade.
De Blasio drew boos from the crowds lining the parade route as the celebratory event marked the first large-scale Manhattan march since the start of the pandemic.
At 46th Street, a woman in a black mask yelled “F--k you, a--hole! F--k you, de Blasio. F--k you, de Blasio!”
“Drop dead in your bed tonight,” someone shouted at the mayor near the corner of 48th Street, a sure sign that the city is returning to some form of normalcy.
The lame-duck mayor, who has feuded with the group behind the parade in the past and was not invited to last year’s virtual event, added to the outrage earlier this year when it was announced that city schools were dropping Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
“Mr. Mayor, happy Columbus Day,” a woman jeered at de Blasio as he passed by, walking behind an FDNY banner.
“F--k you Mayor Scumbag,” another man shouted as flipped off de Blasio near 55th Street.
The mayor’s aides clapped and cheered each time the mayor was heckled.
Hochul, on the other hand, was met by words of encouragement from some onlookers as she touted New York’s resolve in the fight against COVID-19.
“Kathleen’s got the juice!” a man yelled from the sidewalk as others erupted in applause.
“I want to thank everybody for coming out today,” the governor said. “Let’s celebrate this first holiday parade we’ve been able to have since the pandemic hit. This is a great day for New Yorkers. We’re going to keep this recovery going. Our infection rate is incredibly low.”
Hochul marched behind the Columbus Citizens Foundation banner, representing the nonprofit that organized the parade.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli also made their way up Fifth Avenue along with dozens of marching bands and floats.
An estimated 35,000 spectators, many decked out in the green, white and red of the Italian flag, cheered the procession honoring Italian Americans’ contributions to the city and country.
The parade, as well as the holiday itself, has faced criticism in recent years as more Americans question the adoration of a 15th-century explorer who enslaved and forced indigenous people to convert to Christianity.
While many supporters of the Midtown parade argue that the Columbus Day holiday is more about Italian American heritage than Columbus himself, backlash has grown.
President Joe Biden on Friday issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, observed Monday along with Columbus Day.
“For generations, federal policy has systematically pursued assimilation and elimination of Indigenous peoples and eradication of Indigenous cultures,” Biden wrote in the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Day. “Today we recognize the resilience and strength of Indigenous peoples and the immeasurable positive impact they have had on all aspects of American society.”
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