Spanish right attacks Biden over Columbus and conquests

Key Facts

A 1753 depiction of Columbus arriving in the Caribbean Spanish right-wing politicians are rebuffing calls for Spain to apologise for dark chapters in its colonial past and have scorned US President Joe Biden's recent acknowledgement of the atrocities suffered by indigenous peoples.
The leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), Pablo Casado, described Spain's colonial expansion to the Americas as "the most important event in history after the Roman empire", on the eve of Spain's 12 October holiday marking Christopher Columbus's 1492 arrival in the New World.
His comments came after President Biden, in a message to mark the US Columbus Day holiday, said the explorer's arrival had led to "a wave of devastation" for Native Americans and he urged Americans not to "bury these shameful episodes of our past".
Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a US cabinet secretary In Latin America, smallpox and other diseases brought by Europeans wiped out huge numbers of indigenous people, facilitating the settlers' conquests.