The Sons of Italy group in Hammonton says its Christopher Columbus statue has been moved to its organization's building.

A statement posted on Facebook it reads in part, "let us be clear, this undertaking was not motivated by fear, but it was voluntarily driven by necessity. Conversations were ongoing with the required representatives about moving the statue well before the current state of affairs. However, it became necessary to promptly preserve one of the more important representations of Italian-American culture and heritage - Christopher Columbus."

The group also says the move is to preserve the statue's historical significance to Italian-Americans.