Numerous statues in the United States and London honor controversial historical figures. The artworks are targeted by protests over the death of George Floyd.
- The protests over George Floyd's death reach a new level.
- Statues of politicians and generals of the former Confederate States are criticized.
- In the meantime, US President Donald Trump * refuses to rename military bases.
- Right-wing protesters want to protect statues during protests against racism in London
Update from Saturday, June 13th, 2020, 7:01 pm: After the death of the African American George Floyd in the USA, mass protests against systematic racism are taking place worldwide . As a result, statues were already damaged in Europe and the USA. During protests in Bristol, England, demonstrators threw a statue of a British slave trader into the harbor basin. According to local media reports, a statue of Christopher Columbus was beheaded in a park in Boston.
When hundreds of people demonstrated against racism in central London on Saturday , extreme right-wing demonstrators also gathered near Parliament to protect statues from possible attacks. As a precautionary measure, several monuments have already been packaged, including the statue of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
London: Controversy over Racist Monuments - Right-wing protesters want to protect statues
The monument to the war premier on Parliament Square had already been sprayed with the words "Was a Racist" last week. The central war memorial Cenotaph, just a few hundred meters away, was also barricaded for security reasons.
British media reports said right-wing demonstrators had clashed with police on and around Parliament Square . Interior Minister Priti Patel criticized the violence as completely unacceptable. Anyone who takes part in violent riots and vandalism must face the full harshness of the law. "Go home to stop the spread (of the corona virus) and save lives," she wrote on Twitter.
We are in the grip of an unprecedented national health emergency.
This severe public health risk forces me to continue to urge people not to attend protests this weekend.
Gathering in large numbers at this exceptional time is illegal. Doing so puts everyone's lives at risk.
USA: Controversy over racist US monuments and statues - statues decapitated - criticism from Trump
Update from Thursday, June 11th, 2020, 17.07: On Twitter, US President Donald Trump has now commented on the demolition of statues. In capital letters, Trump wrote: "Whoever denies his story is doomed to repeat it!" Trump's tweet is similar to the quote by philosopher and writer George Santayana, "Anyone who does not remember his past is doomed to repeat it". Several Twitter users warned the president that he was misusing the phrase.
Trump is against the demolition of statues of politicians and generals of the former Confederate States of America and also rejected calls for the renaming of US military bases.
THOSE THAT DENY THEIR HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 11, 2020First message from Thursday, June 11, 2020: Washington - The protests over the death of the African American George Floyd are not subsiding. Since his violent death by police officers, mass protests against systematic racism have been taking place across the country and worldwide. Now the protests reach a new level - a level of the culture of remembrance.
Culture of Remembrance in the USA: Statues in the Target of the Protests
The symbolic strength of many monuments, which often represent white slave holders, plays a decisive and supporting role in the conflict. US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi called for the removal of eleven statues in the capital, Washington. The statues depict eleven soldiers and representatives of the Confederate States of America, which emerged from the Civil War (1861-1865) and who, in Pelosi's opinion, would not represent the highest values of the United States. "Their statues are a tribute to hate, not heritage," said Pelosi in a letter to Congress. The men stood for "cruelty and barbarism".
Read my letter here: https://t.co/lx0nuYxrfk
- Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 10, 2020The statues include the statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the then Confederate States of America, or that of his deputy Alexander Stephens. There is also a statue of military strategist and Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
The protesters see the statues as a buffer for their anger. A statue of Christopher Columbus was beheaded in a Boston park on Wednesday, according to local media reports. Following the incident, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced that he would also like to dismantle the rest of America's explorer's monument. Critics and historians see a direct connection between Christopher Columbus and the transatlantic slave trade. His violent behavior against Native Americans has also been criticized.
Protests over the death of George Floyd: statues are dismantled
US President Donald Trump has rejected calls to rename US military bases. These are bases that are named after military leaders of confederate generals during the Civil War.
“These monumental and powerful bases have become part of a great American heritage and a story of victory and freedom. That's why my government won't even think about renaming these magnificent military facilities, ”Trump said on Twitter. Ten U.S. Army bases are named after Southern Generals. Retired General David Petraeus had asked to rename the bases, as the namesake no longer served as a "source of inspiration" these days.
By Marvin Ziegele
After the protests triggered by the death of George Floyd, a neighborhood in Seattle declared autonomous. Police officers avoid the area.
* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
