SET OUR GREATEST HERO FREE
In a shameful surrender to the mob, Churchill statue is boarded up... now Home Secretary tells Daily Mail: I’ll fight to liberate him
LONDON’S mayor was accused of caving in to mob rule last night by covering up Winston Churchill’s statue.
Sadiq Khan is shielding key public monuments – including the Cenotaph – ahead of anti- racism protests today. But Priti Patel called on the mayor to uncover the bronze sculpture immediately.
‘We should free Churchill, a hero of our nation, who fought against fascism and racism in this country and Europe,’ said the Home Secretary. ‘He has given us the
freedom to live our lives the way we do today.’ Churchill’s grandson, Nicholas Soames, said covering up his statue in Parliament Square was a national humiliation. And Boris Johnson said it was ‘absurd and shameful’ that the monument required protection.
Mr Khan defended his decision, insisting that ‘ prevention is better than the cure’. His allies said Mr Johnson oversaw the boarding-up of Parliament Square statues three times as mayor.
The Churchill monument, which was erected in 1973, has been a target of protesters and was spray-painted with the word ‘racist’ last weekend.
Police said they could face a ‘ perfect storm’ today after a network of football hooligans and extremists said they would rally to ‘defend’ national monuments.
In an attempt to diffuse tensions, the campaign group Black Lives Matter urged supporters not to travel to the capital in case they came under attack.
More than a dozen anti-racist marches are scheduled to take place across the country today. Bolton Council’s leader has ordered a two-metre steel fence to be built around the town’s cenotaph over fears it could be targeted.
Dozens of town halls are reviewing the status of monuments after a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston was toppled in Bristol last weekend and thrown into the harbour.
Mr Khan has also ordered protection for monuments to Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square and to George Washington and King James II in Trafalgar Square.
Despite backing the Black Lives Matter movement, he warned against protesting this weekend because of the risk of spreading coronavirus and because of the potential for clashes with the far Right.
The Prime Minister, who has written a biography of Churchill, said the Second World War premier ‘fully deserves his memorial’ even if some of his opinions would be unacceptable today.
He added: ‘The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country – and the whole of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny.’
Addressing questions about historical figures, Mr Johnson said: ‘They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come.’
Mr Johnson acknowledged the ‘legitimate feeling of outrage’ over the death of African-American George Floyd while under police arrest in Minneapolis last month.
He also accepted that the UK had ‘ much more work to do’ in tackling racial inequality but added: ‘We cannot pretend to have a different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations.’
Miss Patel said the decision to hide the monument to Churchill was a ‘sad reflection’ on Mr Khan’s mayoralty.
She added: ‘ Had he called out the minority in particularly who were subversive in a peaceful protest, and had he pulled up the thuggery in the right way, we would not be seeing the boarding up of our national hero.’
A spokesman for the mayor said: ‘The Home Secretary should have a word with her boss the Prime Minister, who did exactly the same when he was mayor of London – including boarding up the whole of
Parliament Square to protect the statues from protesters. However, we all know she won’t, because this is simply political point scoring.
‘Sadiq has urged everyone thinking of protesting to stay at home instead this weekend and he has protected these monuments from damage or vandalism – which is the only responsible thing to do.’ Sir Nicholas described the Black Lives Matter movement as a ‘noble cause’ but said the protests had been hijacked by the ‘ghastly hard Left and hard Right’.
The former Tory MP added: ‘It is completely unthinkable that this should happen, that it should be necessary to board up a statue of Churchill who led this country through its darkest hour.
‘Without him, I don’t know where we would be today. I just think it is deeply disrespectful and humiliating for our country and it shows a total want of any realistic understanding of history.’
The 12ft high sculpture was unveiled by Churchill’s widow Clementine and shows him with his hand resting on his walking stick and wearing a military greatcoat. It is based on a photograph of Churchill inspecting the House of Commons after it had been wrecked by a German bombing raid in May 1941.
Hundreds of protesters defied pleas to stay away from central London by attending an anti-racism march in the capital yesterday. The protest was largely peaceful and crowds respected social-distancing measures.
Fears of clashes with far Right mobs proved unfounded.
Starting in Hyde Park, demonstrators made their way to Trafalgar Square, watched on by a sizeable police presence.
Several arrests were made during the Hyde Park speeches, which organisers said may have been linked to previous demonstrations.
‘Teach us about our past’ ‘Only responsible thing to do’