Feminists row in race for first statue of woman at Parliament
SCOTLAND Yard is investigating a mysterious double attack on a bronze statue of John F Kennedy that has stood undisturbed in London for more than 50 years.
The bust was erected in 1965, two years after the Democratic president was assassinated, following an appeal in The Sunday Telegraph, which raised AS TWO activists who fought to transform women’s rights, few would dispute that they were both the embodiment of determination, dedication and courage. Their methods, however, separated them irrevocably; while Millicent Fawcett believed in peaceful protest, Emmeline Pankhurst saw violence as a means to an end.
Despite the passing of nearly a century since women over 30 were emancipated, the divide between the women’s supporters appears wider than ever. An attempt to unite the campaigns to erect statues of Fawcett, a suffragist, and Pankhurst, a suffragette, in Westminster has failed after the groups fell out. Now, Baroness Boothroyd has accused the Fawcett Society of being “Johnny come e lately” campaigners.
Theresa May, the author JK Rowling, the actress Emma Watson and the Fawcett Society are backing plans for a statue of Fawcett in Parliament Square, the first woman to be enshrined in bronze there. Meanwhile, campaigners for a Pankhurst statue in nearby Canning Green boast the support of former prime minister David Cameron, Tory minister Andrea Leadsom and the first-ever more than £50,000. It was erected at a site on Marylebone Road near Great Portland Street station, and has sat on a granite plinth ever since.
The statue had to be removed and sent for repair last week, after it was attacked with what police believe may have been a pickaxe.
Just days earlier the statue had been daubed with the word “c---” and one theory is that it may have been a politically motivated attack. There has been female Speaker of the House of Commons, Baroness Boothroyd.
At the heart of their struggle is obtaining final planning permission from Westminster city council, a long and bureaucratic process that could confound the most ardent of activists. Sir Neil Thorne, a former Conservative MP, said £150,000 would have to be raised to fund his proposal for a statue of Pankhurst, which he planned to do through crowdfunding. Pankhurst was a leading suffragette whose methods included public rallies, window-breaking, arson and hunger strikes, in contrast to Fawcett’s more peaceful suffragist approach.
“I’ve been talking to people and found that only 4 per cent of people have heard of Fawcett while 40 per cent have heard of Emmeline Pankhurst,” he said.
The two sides met before Christmas last year to discuss working together but this came to nothing. “I set to work to try to come to a compromise. I went to the Royal Parks and said ‘would you be prepared to let us put two statues to women in Canning widespread division and unrest in the United States over efforts to remove statues celebrating figures associated with the Confederacy.
Police are exploring the possibility that the attack on the JFK bust may have been some sort of misguided revenge attack.
The bust is looked after by the International Students House (ISH) organisation, a charity that provides residences and helps support students Green?’. They said yes,” said Sir Neil. “So feeling quite elated we then had the second meeting with the Fawcett campaign, who listened to what we said but then went away and turned us down flat, much to our surprise.”
Baroness Boothroyd said: “I think [the Fawcett campaign] is ‘Johnny come lately’. All the suffragettes were important all in their own right but Emmeline Pankhurst is closest to the vote so if it’s going to be anyone it from across the world. Phil Wilson from ISH said: “We are at a bit of a loss as to understand what happened and why. The bust has been there for more than 50 years but then it was attacked twice within a few days.
“Police think it may have been struck with a pickaxe and there has been a chunk taken off the nose. The granite plinth has also been damaged.
“It also looks like those responsible had attempted to remove the bust in the second attack; there is evidence of them trying to jemmy it from the plinth but fortunately they did not succeed. We have no idea whether they were simply trying to remove it or whether there was some other motive for the attack. It seems strange to target JFK who was so widely respected among people all over the world.
“Fortunately the damage is not too bad and it is now undergoing assessment before being repaired.”
The statue was the first to be erected in Britain to the Democratic president, who was killed in Dallas in 1963.