PROTESTORS CALL FOR STATUE REMOVAL
PROTESTORS gathered at the Picton Monument in Carmarthen at the weekend calling for the obelisk to be removed and replaced with a memorial to victims of slavery.
The protest was dubbed ‘Picton Must Fall!’ and was organised by Stand Up To Racism West Wales.
A spokesperson for the protest said: “It is shameful that a memorial to such a cruel man is still present in Carmarthen.
“Thomas Picton was a slave owner and during his time as governor of Trinidad between 1797 and 1803 had at least 20 people executed for petty crimes.
“He famously ordered the torture of Louisa Calderon, a 14-year-old girl, for petty crimes. She was hung by one arm and lowered on to a spike, reminiscent by some of the Picton obelisk.”
Picton owned slaves and was convicted in court in London for authorising the use of torture to obtain a confession from a 14-year-old mixedrace girl accused of stealing.
The decision was reversed in a retrial two years later, although no final decision was given, and Picton died in battle at the Battle of Waterloo.
His demise is commemorated in memorials in Carmarthen, Cardiff and at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Last month, a plaque at a townhouse in Haverfordwest, where Picton was born, was removed over safety fears.
Those who attended the Carmarthen protest on Saturday afternoon were told to bring placards and wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines.
Campaigners gathered in Guildhall Square before marching to the monument in Picton Terrace.
A number of speeches were also made at the bandstand in Carmarthen Park.
The protest was the second Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest held in the town within the last month. The first was in Nott Square.
The latest action came just over a week since Carmarthenshire Council agreed to re-evaluate street names and monuments across the county, including the memorial to soldier Sir Thomas Picton.
County councillors voted in favour of a motion which makes clear the authority’s abhorrence of racism, prejudice and discrimination, past and present.
The motion supports the BLM message and pledges to work with Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) communities to identify and eradicate racism.
A cross-party task and finish group will be set up to take the work forward, and efforts made to include colonialism, exploitation, discrimination and racism in Wales’s new school curriculum.