Museum ‘must not cave in’ over slave profiteer statue

MUSEUM of the Home bosses plan to pursue the removal of slave profiteer Robert Geffrye’s statue despite government guidelines on retaining controversial monuments.

The museum in east London was blocked from removing the statue following Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 as the Government launched a policy of “retain and explain” for contested monuments linked to empire and slavery, and an explanatory plaque was installed instead.

The institution, originally named the Geffrye Museum in honour of a former lord mayor of London, Robert Geffrye, who profited from the slave trade, has stated it will nevertheless continue to push for his statue to be relocated.

A position statement drawn up by the museum supported moving the statue “to a less prominent place”, following threats of a boycott by local activists in Hackney campaigning for the monument to be taken down.

The statement said: “[There] is potential to retain the statue on site but in an alternative and less prominent space, where we can better tell the full story of the history of the buildings and Robert Geffrye’s life, including his involvement in transatlantic slavery.”

“As a Grade I listed building, there is legislation that the museum must take into account in making any decision.

The decision to pursue the removal of his monument has been criticised by Robert Poll, the founder of Save Our

‘The museum has endured [protests], vandalism, and threats to undermine the education of local children’

Statues, who said campaigners for its move “won’t take no for an answer”.

He added: “They [the museum] have endured multiple protests at their gates, vandalism, and threats to undermine the education of local children.

“This proves they [campaigners] are not interested in ‘adding history’ – they simply want it gone. The museum should [not] give in to threats.”

The museum and the Culture Ministry have been contacted for comment.