Felix Dzerzhinsky was the first statue to be moved there, and Lenin and Stalin soon followed. Activists compile 'hit list' of 60 historical statues in the UK after toppling Colston DEMONSTRATORS have drawn up a "hit list" of 60 historical statues … But a petition has been countered by a series of figures counselling caution, including historian Mary Beard who said it was "not the job of the present to tick the past off". In a … Protesters across the UK are asking for statues and symbols across the UK to be changed or removed. UK Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said new legal protections mean that historic statues should be “retained and explained” for future generations and individuals who want to remove … Soames, however, said Khan was right to heed police advice and board up the statue and the nearby Cenotaph. Leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters Julius Malema said: "It is through collapsing of these types of symbols that the white minority will begin to appreciate that there's nothing superior about them.". Many critics have suggested that instead of being destroyed, the statues being removed in the UK should be placed in a museum to be studied. And indeed rows over statues are increasingly common. The movement spread to other universities in South Africa and has now arrived in Oxford, where Oriel College is under pressure to take down a statue marking Rhodes's large financial contribution. The legacy of slavery, imperialism and race aren't the only reasons for campaigning against a statue. Some … "I think it is a process, rather than the actual removal, starting a debate about collective values. The 17th Century businessman and MP was a key figure in the Royal African Company and the transport of many thousands of slaves. The statue of slave owner Robert Milligan in London has already been taken down, while there are plans to temporarily remove the monument for Robert Baden-Powell, the … Statues of Lenin have been toppled in many countries that have rejected communism, but last year in in some cities in eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian protesters rushed to protect statues at risk of being torn down. The statue of slave owner Robert Milligan in London has already been taken down, while there are plans to temporarily remove the monument for Robert Baden-Powell, the … "He represents the former colonial representation of this country - supremacy, racism, misogyny," said student representative Ramabina Mahapa. While the statues of Rhodes may be disappearing from South Africa, the giant Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria has remained and - despite its background of Afrikaner nationalism being associated with the later rise of apartheid - been tolerated as a slice of history and an opportunity to discuss the wrongs as well as the rights of bygone eras. “The statues in the Capitol should embody our highest ideals as Americans, expressing who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation,” said the California Democrat in … Oliver Cromwell is credited by many with being a key figure in the development of Western democracy. “I find it extraordinary that millions and millions of people all over the world who look up to Britain will be astonished that a statue of Churchill and the Cenotaph, our national war memorial, could have been defaced in this disgusting way,” he said. UK Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said new legal protections mean that historic statues should be “retained and explained” for future generations and individuals who want to remove any historic statue, whether protected with a “listed” status or not, will now require listed building consent or planning permission. Members of the ex-president's party say he deserves "a full and fair process that respects his rights". View a PDF version of this topic guide here.. INTRODUCTION. The UK government could make it more difficult for local authorities to take down public monuments to controversial historical figures. Certainly, a public remembrance to the very brave British airmen is long overdue, so long as the names of the instigators of the barbarity are not mentioned. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The 1992 unveiling of a statue of Arthur "Bomber" Harris, head of the RAF's Bomber Command in World War Two, created a wave of protest, culminating in sustained vandalism. Why is Cecil Rhodes such a controversial figure? But he was also a key philanthropist in the city - which was a major hub for the wider trade around slavery - and is remembered with a statue and an annual day of celebration. Protesters in Bristol have removed the statue of a man named Edward Colston - but why do we have statues of people in the UK, and when should they be taken down? Students at the University of Missouri also asked for a statue of Thomas Jefferson - third president of the US - to be taken down as he was a "racist rapist". Contentious memorials teach about about Britain’s morally complex past, minister says, Last modified on Sat 13 Jun 2020 17.23 BST. Taken to its extreme, this approach would lead to the eradication of almost every building and statue commemorating notable figures of the past, including the Albert Memorial and Nelson's Column.". 'Topple the racists': full list of UK statues campaigners want removed because of racist associations - from Robert Peel to Robert Milligan Statues depicting Henry Dundas in … Dresser suggests there is another way for more recent statues to be handled. Dowden said in the letter that many of the monuments were listed and could not be removed without planning permission via a quasi-judicial process. Should controversial statues be removed or kept as a reminder of the past? Winston Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square, London, before it was covered this week. .css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}Activists are campaigning for a statue of Cecil Rhodes to be removed from an Oxford college. The movement against him is part of a wider drive to get rid of monuments to figures who are now intensely controversial. And there is an argument that removing statues has the potential to harm our understanding of history. But he also stands accused of leading massacres in Ireland. In a three-page letter, Dowden said heritage should be used to educate people about all aspects of Britain’s morally complex past, “rather than airbrushing history”. One letter writer to the Times said: "We need not be proud of a man who, for all his professional skill and dedication, committed the force to acts of destruction devoid of direct military value, of which people of humane and Christian sentiments have long been bitterly ashamed. A statue of the slave owner and philanthropist Edward Colston was torn down and thrown into Bristol harbour while a monument to Robert Milligan, an 18th Century Scottish merchant, was removed … Calls have been made to remove statues across the UK that commemorate Britain’s slave trade history (Picture: PA/Getty) Calls to remove statues across the UK … The home secretary, Priti Patel, called for the statue in Parliament Square to be uncovered immediately and criticised the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, for boarding it up. Protesters across the UK are asking for statues and symbols across the UK to be changed or removed. Virginia Gov Ralph Northam on Thursday ordere… Rhodes believed the English were a "master race" and he was instrumental in the seizure of swathes of African land. The statue of Edward Colston, which was rolled into Bristol harbour, has since been removed by local authorities and taken to a … 14.9KSharesChair of Lambeth Independent Police Advisory Group and community activist Lorraine Jones said she wasn’t sure if the statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill should be removed because she hasn’t ‘personally met him.’ Advertisement Lorraine Jones appeared on Channel 4 News yesterday to speak with presenter Cathy Newman about the recent protests and counter-protests […] .css-1xgx53b-Link{font-family:ReithSans,Helvetica,Arial,freesans,sans-serif;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#FFFFFF;}.css-1xgx53b-Link:hover,.css-1xgx53b-Link:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Read about our approach to external linking. "I do also take the point that if you look at many of the people celebrated in statues, they have been responsible for death and destruction," says Dresser. A GOVERNMENT minister has said there should be no statues of slave traders in modern Britain as protesters drew up a "hit list" of 60 to be removed. People might not want to take their cue from the medieval Christians who gleefully melted down bronze equestrian statues of pagan Roman emperors and reused the metal. debate over the future of hundreds of statues and monuments. When those values are not shared a debate needs to be started.". The City of London Corporation voted on Thursday to re-site monuments to William Beckford and Sir John Cass in Guildhall because they accrued wealth through the slave trade and symbolise “a … Imperialist, businessman and politician who played a dominant role in southern Africa in the late 19th Century, driving the annexation of vast swathes of land, Born the son of a vicar in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, in 1853, first went to Africa at the age of 17; grew cotton with his brother in Natal, but moved into diamond mining, founding De Beers, which until recently controlled the global trade, Rhodes's bequest continues to finance scholarships bearing his name, allowing overseas students to come to Oxford University; most famous of these was probably Bill Clinton, Controversial even in his own time, Rhodes backed the disastrous Jameson Raid of 1895, in which a small British force tried to overthrow the gold-rich Transvaal Republic, helping prompt the Second Boer War, in which tens of thousands died. Campaigners say these UK statues with links to racism and slavery should be removed - see the full list. But Cromwell also oversaw military massacres in Ireland, and there have been calls from MPs for the statue to be removed. "It's better on the whole to keep the statues but to recontextualise them.". Earlier, this year the #RhodesMustFall movement succeeded in getting the statue of the diamond tycoon and imperialist removed from the University of Cape Town. No-one would suggest the retention of a statue of Hitler, Dresser notes. Google threatens to pull search engine in Australia, Iran's leader tweets attack threat to golfer Trump, .css-1snjdh1-IconContainer{display:none;height:0.875em;width:0.875em;vertical-align:-0.0625em;margin-right:0.25em;}'Only our generation can heal America' Video'Only our generation can heal America', ‘The painful call that helped me break free from my mum’. I survived the air raids on Cologne as a teenager.". The demonstration was organised by the Rhodes Must Fall campaign group and came after activists identified 60 UK statues they want removed for 'celebrating slavery and racism' as … “So in this sense, pretty much every statue raised in the UK to a person living between 1660 and 1811 would need to come down,” she says. “In our democracy, if one wishes to change the urban landscape, this should be done through the democratic process,” he wrote. Other statue subjects have been controversial from the start. The toppling of statues by anti-racism protesters is justified according to this caller, and he argued that such monuments would be removed if white people were offended by them. A UK minister first announced the decision in op-ed in the Telegraph on Sunday, in which he argued that public monuments … The US is undergoing a cultural battle over symbols of the Confederate era that has seen .css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:link{color:#3F3F42;}.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:link,.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:visited{font-weight:700;border-bottom:1px solid #BABABA;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:link:hover,.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:visited:hover,.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:link:focus,.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:visited:focus{border-bottom-color:currentcolor;border-bottom-width:2px;color:#B80000;}@supports (text-underline-offset:0.25em){.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:link,.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:visited{border-bottom:none;-webkit-text-decoration:underline #BABABA;text-decoration:underline #BABABA;-webkit-text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;-webkit-text-decoration-skip-ink:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;text-underline-offset:0.25em;}.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:link:hover,.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:visited:hover,.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:link:focus,.css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink:visited:focus{-webkit-text-decoration-color:currentcolor;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;-webkit-text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-decoration-thickness:2px;color:#B80000;}}a statue of Jefferson Davis removed from the University of Texas-Austin. But then asked whether statues could be removed by local consent, the spokesman said: “As he said earlier this week, there are democratic processes for this sort of thing, and that’s what should … The problem with statues is that stone or bronze is meant to last forever, but reputations crumble much more easily. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live to BBC host Nicky Campbell, Ms Johnson argued all statues of monarchs across the country should be removed as she deemed them offensive in … I really wouldn’t mind if all the 800-plus statues in the UK (less than 3 per cent are of historical, non-royal women) were taken down and put in a museum. But Cromwell also oversaw military massacres in Ireland, and there have been calls from MPs for the statue to be removed. On 9 April 2015, the University of Cape Town removed a statue commemorating the 19th century British imperialist Cecil Rhodes [Ref: BBC News].This was the culmination of a month long campaign by both students and academics as part of the ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ movement, which argued that Rhodes was more than just … ", Another wrote: "I read with disbelief and disgust that a monument is to be erected to 'Bomber' Harris. 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Calls have been made to remove statues across the UK that commemorate Britain’s slave trade history (Picture: PA/Getty) Calls to remove statues across … The government has signalled that it will not remove any statues or monuments from its property, as tensions mount over the UK’s memorials to controversial figures. Other debates over statues may soon follow the same subtle path. © 2021 BBC. But for many other statues the argument is far less clear-cut. Africa's long wait for the Covid-19 vaccine, The vehicle that got a village smiling. The debate over the future of hundreds of statues and monuments in the UK has raged since last weekend, and a growing number of petitions have been set up both for and against their removal. In the UK, a row is rumbling on in Bristol over the commemoration of Edward Colston. A century later a group of MPs campaigned to have it melted down. Harris was criticised for having masterminded saturation bombing of areas of Germany that cost large numbers of civilian lives. Street names could also not be changed without the formal consent of two-thirds of residents who live on the street. “It feels like a society that has lost its compass.”. Dowden tweeted: “As Culture Sec I would like us to use heritage to educate people about all aspects of Britain’s complex past, good and bad, rather than airbrushing history.”. A statue of Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell will be removed from a quayside in Dorset, southern England, as the UK continues to reckon with monuments of its imperialist past. There are a slew of figures in London from the same period - all involved in some way in slavery - whose statues are still standing. “These people who are marching did not set out to do this, but a very, very small, extremely explosive group of people who have made a practice of hijacking entirely responsible demonstrations are behaving in an unspeakable and cowardly manner. In Moscow the Muzeon sculpture park is known as “the graveyard of Soviet-era statues”. The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, said he had written to MPs, peers and councillors to outline the government’s position, after a week in which tens of thousands of people protested against statues of historical figures linked to slavery and racism. Nicholas Soames, a former Conservative minister and Sir Winston Churchill’s grandson, said he was deeply upset after the former prime minister’s statue was defaced. One letter writer to the Daily Telegraph argued: "The trouble… is that almost every person of that era held opinions that were commonplace at the time but are at odds with modern thinking. "Do we start taking them all down?". The UK government has come under fire for plans to introduce a law protecting statues from being removed ‘on a whim or at the behest of a baying mob’. .css-po6dm6-ItalicText{font-style:italic;}Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. Soames told the Daily Telegraph the incident, in which the word “racist” was scrawled on the monument, suggested British society had “lost its compass”. CONFEDERATE statues and monuments honoring slave traders are being taken down amid worldwide anti-racism protests spurred by the death of George Floyd. Thus a debate could be started. That is why the statue is there. 14.9KSharesChair of Lambeth Independent Police Advisory Group and community activist Lorraine Jones said she wasn’t sure if the statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill should be removed because she hasn’t ‘personally met him.’ Advertisement Lorraine Jones appeared on Channel 4 News yesterday to speak with presenter Cathy Newman about the recent protests and counter-protests […] .css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link{color:inherit;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:focus,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:focus{color:#B80000;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link::after,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited::after{content:'';position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;z-index:2;}Jonathan Hutchinson/Flickr, Republicans seek delay 'to give Trump fair trial'. 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