Protesters surrounded the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park Friday night, spray-painted it and tried to pull it down. A large group gathered about 4:20 p.m. at Buckingham Fountain, 301 S. Columbus Dr., for a protest and moved south into Grant Park, Chicago police said.

The group approached the Christopher Columbus statue and some “used the protest to attack officers with fireworks, rocks, frozen bottles, and other objects,” police said. Images shared on Twitter showed protesters pulling on ropes attached to the statue. Police had cleared protesters from the area around the statue by 8:15 p.m.