Churchill, Nelson and Gandhi memorials could be toppled in Welsh purge

Review of statues and street names to root out the ‘culpable’ in wake of Black Lives Matter protests

THERE are fears memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Nelson and Mahatma Gandhi could be removed and streets renamed after they were named in a Welsh government report into those “complicit” in slavery and empire.

An audit of statues and street names in Wales has assessed the historical figures they celebrate for “culpability” in the slave trade, imperialism, and racial bigotry.

The reputations of Churchill and Nelson have been “brought into question” despite their feats for Britain, and their public honours are “contentious”, the report states.

Following Black Lives Matter protests, streets named after Churchill have been reviewed over the leader’s alleged racial views, anti-strike action in Wales and role in the Bengal famine.

Nelson’s many monuments in Wales have been listed as contentious by the devolved government because of his opposition to the abolition of slavery.

Gandhi, the Indian independence leader, whose solitary statue stands in Cardiff, has also been implicated for “racism against Black South Africans”.

The audit of public commemorations found more than 200 monuments, buildings and streets names with links to the slave trade, empire and racism.

The report’s author has said that “some could be moved to museums so people can see the links”.

Mark Drakeford, the First Minister, has claimed the report “provides important evidence which helps us establish an honest picture” of the past, and next steps for dubious memorials would be decided.

A report published yesterday said that “many reputations have been brought into question” and “there is a need to assess the culpability or otherwise of individuals who are publicly commemorated and celebrated”.

In a tiered, traffic light system of guilt, Sir Thomas Picton, the colonial governor who died at Waterloo and is commemorated across Wales, is “red” with “definite personal culpability” in regard to slavery and empire.

Churchill’s 17 commemorations and Nelson’s 31 have been named on the list, one rung down from Picton and known slavers such as Sir Francis Drake.

Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny, said the Welsh Government had “exceeded itself in the bilge it has regurgitated about Winston Churchill”.

The report makes clear that those in the “amber” section are still debatable historical figures with no proven culpability. Other figures include William Ewart Gladstone, the four-time prime minister, and t he early s ocialist reformer Robert Owen, for opposing emancipation. The report will now be considered and next steps decided.