Council teams remove graffiti after protests
COUNCIL teams have been cleaning up graffiti from statues after several across the city were targeted following antiracism protests in Glasgow.
Statues in George Square, Cathedral Square and Kelvingrove park were vandalised with slogans spraypainted onto plinths.
Three statues in Kelvingrove park were targeted.
Glasgow City Council said it was aware of the strong feelings towards links to slavery of certain individuals who have statues but cannot condone the vandalism of public monuments.
The bust of Thomas Carlyle at the bridge over the River Kelvin was sprayed.
The 19th century historian and writer was known to have considered anglosaxons a “superior race”.
Yards away on the opposite bank of the river, the memorial to the Highland Light Infantry was sprayed with BLM and an offensive anti police slogan.
The statue was repaired after its stone was damaged last year.
At the top of the park at the Park Circus entrance the statue of Lord Roberts, who had led military in South Africa and India, was also sprayed with BLM.
Frederick Roberts had led forces to quell an Indian rebellion in 1857 and was awarded the Victoria Cross and also commanded British forces in the second Boer War in South Africa in 1899.
In Cathedral Square, the statue of King William III was also targeted with anti-police graffiti.
In George Square, statue of Robert Peel daubed with paint slogans.
Peel was a former British Prime Minister and founder of the Metropolitan Police in London.
The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland condemned the vandalism and issued a statement along with a photograph of the damage to the King William statue. the was and
It said: “The Orange Order are rightly proud of the civil and religious liberties delivered by King William III that our citizens enjoy today.
“However civil rights and liberty come with a responsibility to act lawfully and uphold government medical advice not to gather publicly in order to protect lives.
“We call on the Leader of Glasgow City Council and the First Minister to condemn these offensive acts and provide Police Scotland with the necessary resource to protect our public memorials.”
The council condemned the vandalism and said work had already been started to look into how the city’s history with slavery is represented.
Council teams worked quickly on Sunday and Monday