Let us learn from history rather than rewrite it, statues protesters told

Poll finds minority of activists have too much influence over Britain’s treatment of monuments

BRITONS have had enough of a “minority” of political activists having too much say on how Britain treats its monuments, a Policy Exchange report has found.

Weeks after statues were pulled down during protests and others defaced, more than three quarters of Britons (77 per cent) believe that we should learn from history rather than try to rewrite it, while some 70 per cent of people are concerned that “a minority of political activists are being given too much say over how Britain treats its monuments”.

In Parliament Square, the statue of Winston Churchill was boarded up after activists spray painted claims that he “was a racist”. Of the 1,560 people surveyed, 80 per cent said that the statue should stay, with more than 90 per cent of over-65s saying they opposed it being defaced.

In Bristol, the statue of Edward Colston, the slave trader, which was erected in the city centre in 1895, was pulled down by protesters.

The defiant act was part of the Black Lives Matter protest, which had swept cities across the UK and the US following the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer.

While a quarter of those surveyed supported the action, nearly half said it should not have happened.

Some 75 per cent of people believe that police should protect statues from violent removal, but only 52 per cent of 18-24 year-olds agree.

A quarter (26 per cent) of 25-34 yearolds think Britain would be a better place without any statues at all. Overall, 69 per cent of people are proud of UK history as a whole, with only 17 per cent saying it is something to be ashamed of. Nearly two thirds of people (65 per cent) say “it is unfair to make judgments about people in the past based on today’s values” and agree that “statues of people who were once celebrated should be allowed to stand”.

Three out of five think children should have to study history to GCSE level to gain a fuller picture of the past.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of Policy Exchange’s History Matters project, said: “Much of this action by mainstream institutions and public bodies is well-meaning. Some of it is happening alongside laudable and overdue efforts to increase diversity and tackle genuine racism.

“But what concerns me about the current moment is the rapid and unthinking way in which large swathes of our public heritage is being effectively rewritten, or erased entirely – much of it seemingly without much proper debate or forethought. At a minimum, we think there needs to be pause for reflection – and to consider what is being done, why and with what effect.”