No decision yet on future of town slaver monument
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AMONUMENT to a slave trader that has stood for more than 130 years will not be removed imminently, despite a vote by Cardiff council to take down a statue which celebrated the same man.
Picton Monument, located on Picton Terrace just outside Carmarthen town centre, has stood in its place since 1888.
It commemorates Sir Thomas Picton, a Welsh war hero who died at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
But Picton has long been criticised for his ownership of slaves and his torture of a 14-year-old girl while serving as Governor of Trinidad at the turn of the 19th century.
A debate has already been had and actioned upon in Cardiff, where the city council met and discussed the future of the Thomas Picton statue which stands inside City Hall.
Last Thursday, Cardiff councillors voted in favour to remove it, a decision which will be rubberstamped if permission is granted by Cadw – the Welsh Government’s historic environment service.
The statue was boarded up just hours after the vote and removed from public view.
In Carmarthen, any decision to remove or alter the monument is not expected imminently, although Carmarthenshire councillors have voted in favour of a motion which makes clear the authority’s abhorrence of racism, prejudice and discrimination.
The council has not disclosed how the fate of the monument will be decided, be it a simple vote or the result of debates, or indeed how much guidance will be taken from public opinion, but one of the objectives of the council’s new ‘Task and Finish’ group is “to engage with as wide a cross-section of the community as possible” over the future of the controversial obelisk.
Whatever decision is made, it is a debate that has split opinion in Carmarthen.
Many have argued that Sir Thomas Picton – and the monument itself – is an important part of Welsh history; a history that cannot be altered.
However, others disagree, calling on the council to take swift action, without the need to create a group to discuss the matter.
Writing an open letter to Carmarthenshire councillors, Mark Evans, on behalf of the Carmarthenshire branch of Unison, said: “It doesn’t need a ‘Task and Finish’ group to be set up to decide that the monument is oppressive, that it causes great distress to black people, and that it glorifies perpetrators of racism.”
Mr Evans went on: “Our branch is offended by this monument. It does not portray the council and Carmarthenshire in a positive way to those visiting Carmarthenshire or working for the council.
“This should be enough for councillors to vote immediately to remove it or at the very least alter it so it is no longer a monument that in effect celebrates slavery.”
Mr Evans also suggested that if the monument is to be altered rather than removed entirely, it should instead celebrate the NHS and care workers who have “risked their lives to provide vital care to people during the Covid-19 crisis”.
Mr Evans said: “Removing a monument is symbolic but it is an indication that the council is serious about tackling racism and oppression.”
Leader of Carmarthenshire council Emlyn Dole said the authority has given its support to the Black Lives Matter movement and has made a “clear and unequivocal statement that it abhors racism, prejudice and discrimination in any form.
“The council agreed to establish a cross-party group to reach out and engage with Carmarthenshire’s BAME community and take their experiences and opinions on board, and also committed to undertaking a review of street names and public monuments, including the one to Thomas Picton in Carmarthen, to consider whether these are still appropriate today.”