‘Save war leader’s statue’ plea to city
A RELATIVE of controversial general Sir Redvers Buller has urged a city to save his statue from being pulled down amid Black Lives Matter protests.
Councillors will next month decide the future of Exeter’s statue of the general, awarded the Victoria Cross in the 1879 Zulu War. But General Buller, born in Crediton, Devon, has been accused of colonial war crimes and his statue was vandalised.
Descendant David Michael Buller Curtis told Exeter City
Council the general was not perfect but had “great sympathy for native and oppressed people”.
In a letter he urged: “Please consider this before knee-jerk removal of statues (Sir Redvers Buller) or nameplates in Exeter or elsewhere.”
City council leader Phil Bialyk said: “We will listen to opinions and use the platforms that we have as politicians to make sure that all voices are heard.”