Calls grow to remove ‘racist’ monuments
THOUSANDS of people are demanding the removal of controversial monuments and statues around the UK, which campaigners describe as “racist and unwelcoming”.
A number of petitions are circling online which have taken inspiration from an anti-racism demonstration in Bristol, which saw protesters topple the statue of slave trader Edward Colston before dragging and heaving the bronze monument into the harbour.
And this has prompted one English council to remove a pub sign that was likened to a gollywog “with immediate effect”.
With the growing surge in support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which has sparked global protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, petitions have emerged online demanding controversial monuments in the UK are taken down.
One such petition, which has amassed more than 26,000 signatures, demands the removal of a caricature of a black man atop the 18th century Greenman pub sign in Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
The Grade II-listed sign, which arches over St John’s Street, depicts the face of a black man, which one 20-year-old anthropology student from the town, who did not want to be named, said resembled a gollywog, a 19th century rag doll which is largely considered racist.
“I think people are ashamed of it,” she said.
“Having it in the middle of the street in a small town is so unwelcoming. It should have been taken down a long time ago and put in a museum.”
Their demands have prompted Derbyshire Dales District Council’s decision to remove the monument from the sign.
A council spokesman said: “We’re removing the head from the sign with immediate effect.
“We agree that the sign itself is not only a public safety concern right now, but that this is an issue that requires urgent discussion and consultation.”
However, a petition has also been launched which seeks to keep the monument in place, with supporters stating it is a part of history.
On the petition page, which has garnered more than 2,700 signatures, organiser Shaun Redfern described the sign as a tourist attraction which “should be kept because of the history for the town”.
Meanwhile in Edinburgh, a petition was launched to remove the statue of slave owner Henry Dundas in St Andrew Square and for streets bearing his name to be renamed.
In Wales, Cardiff ’s first black Lord Mayor Dan De’Ath is calling on local councillors to remove the statue of Sir Thomas Picton, stating it was “no longer acceptable” for it to remain in City Hall.
Similarly, thousands of people have signed two new petitions calling for the statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes to be taken down at Oriel College at the University of Oxford.