Boris Johnson: Britain hijacked by extremists
LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said a wave of anti-racism protests across Britain had been “hijacked by extremists,” as fears mounted about clashes between activists and far-right groups, and vandalism spread.
Several statues were boarded up as a precaution, including one of World War 2 leader Winston Churchill and the Cenotaph war memorial in central London, after previous damage.
In Liverpool, street signs of Penny Lane, which was immortalized in The Beatles’ 1967 song, were daubed with graffiti claiming it was named after a slave trader.
In Bannockburn, central Scotland, a statue of King Robert the Bruce — who led the Scots to victory against the English in 1314 — was defaced, calling him a racist.
Statues, monuments, street and building names commemorating historical figures from Britain’s colonial past have increasingly become targets for activists, amid calls for a reexamination of how the country’s historical legacy is marked in public spaces, and for many monuments to be torn down or relocated to museums.
On Sunday, crowds in Bristol, southwest England, toppled a statue to a 17th century slave trader and philanthropist, Edward Colston, and threw it into the harbor.
Several television shows, including an episode of the cult 1970s comedy series “Fawlty Towers,” were also pulled from streaming services because of language now deemed offensive.
Johnson said he recognized the “legitimate desire to protest against discrimination” but “we cannot now try to edit or censor our past.”
Earlier generations “had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults,” he said.
“To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come.” The protests were sparked by the death during a United States police arrest of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, which has triggered outrage around the world.
Johnson acknowledged the anger of black and minority ethnic communities and said there had been “huge” strides in tackling discrimination in Britain.
But after clashes marred largely peaceful demonstrations in London, he said the protests “have been sadly hijacked by extremists intent on violence.” Attacks on the police and indiscriminate acts of violence were “intolerable” and “abhorrent”, he said.
Fears are growing of further splits in a society already deeply divided over Brexit and widening inequality caused by years of austerity.
Police are promising a “robust” response to vandalism and violence. But some protests have been canceled to avoid clashes with far-right groups and self-styled “patriots” who have promised to protect memorials.
A Black Lives Matter protest originally planned for Saturday in London’s Hyde Park was brought forward to Friday, over such fears.