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Italian Americans sue over Columbus Day name change

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia City Council member and Italian American groups are suing the mayor’s administration in federal court over the decision to change the name of the city’s Columbus Day holiday to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday argues that while both groups deserve recognition, Mayor Jim Kenney “may not take action that discriminates against Italian Americans to exalt another ethnic group in its place,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The plaintiffs, who include Councilman Mark Squilla, allege that Kenney’s recent executive order renaming the October holiday fits a pattern of discrimination by the mayor against his Italian American constituents, who they say should be designated a protected class.

Philadelphia is not the first city to change the holiday’s name — Los Angeles, Denver and Austin, Texas, have also made the switch.

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