Controversy surrounds statues

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Confederate and Columbus statues toppled by US protesters

Statues of Confederate leaders and the explorer Christopher Columbus have been torn down in the US, as pressure grows on authorities to remove monuments connected to slavery and colonialism.

A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was toppled in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday night.

Elsewhere in the city, a statue of Columbus was pulled down, set alight and thrown into a lake a day earlier.

Anti-racism protests have re-ignited debates over US historical monuments.

Memorials to the Confederacy, a group of southern states that fought to keep black people as slaves in the American Civil War of 1861-65, have been among those targeted by demonstrators taking to the streets after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

A three-metre tall (10ft) bronze statue of Italian explorer Columbus was also toppled in Saint Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday.

Statues of Columbus in Boston, Massachusetts and in Miami, Florida were also vandalised. The one in Boston, which stands on a plinth at the heart of town, was beheaded.

Many people in the US celebrate the memory of Columbus, who in school textbooks is credited with discovering "the New World", the Americas, in the 15th Century.

But Native American activists have long objected to honouring Columbus, saying that his expeditions to the Americas led to the colonisation and genocide of their ancestors.

The death of Mr Floyd, whose neck was kneeled on by a police officer for nearly nine minutes, has spurred a global protests against police brutality and racial inequalities, led by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Many cities and organisations have taken steps to remove Confederate symbols, which have long stirred controversy because of their association with racism. 

Last week, for example, Virginia's Governor Ralph Northam announced that a statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee would be removed from Richmond.

However a judge has since granted a temporary injunction stopping the removal of the statue.

US President Donald Trump has meanwhile rejected calls to rename military bases named after Confederate generals, saying they remain part of America's heritage.

He tweeted: "The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations."

On Wednesday, Mr Trump renewed threats to take federal action against local protesters occupying public spaces.

In a pointed exchange on Twitter, Mr Trump demanded that the mayor of Seattle "take back your city" from protesters, whom he called anarchists and domestic terrorists.

In a tweet of her own, Mayor Durkan responded that Mr Trump could make everyone safe by going back to his White House bunker.

A similar backlash against statues of slave owners has been seen in the UK since Mr Floyd's death.

Black Lives Matter demonstrators tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into a harbour during a protest in the city of Bristol on Sunday.

On Thursday, Bristol City Council said it had retrieved the statue, which will be taken to a secure location before becoming a museum exhibit.

Earlier this week, a statue of noted slaveholder Robert Milligan was removed from outside the Museum of London Docklands.

And, during a Black Lives Matter protest in London last weekend, a statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was sprayed with graffiti.

Source: BBC News



Vocabulary:

tear down - 


remove - 


spur - 


stir (up) - 


demand - 


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Comments

Sir Joseph said…
Hi Graham,

On the one hand, I want to make it very clear that the death of Mr. Floyd was a savage, barbaric and cruel murder. It was a cold blonde murder. The murderer was waiting him for. I hope the Americans do justice to him. On the other hand, I agree with those protests and demonstrations. They are right. But I don´t agree to take advantage those demonstrations to use violence around whole USA to break glass, furniture, shops, business and everything what people could knock down. Violence never leads anywhere.

In any way, everybody said that there is racism in USA. I know racism is in every country, only you have to check it and, then, we would surprise ourselves about there is racism all over the world. However, the Americans are suffering this problem for a lot of years. It´s very sad.

I can see that Mr. Trump has called protesters anarchist and domestic terrorists and he was into the White House bunker, that is a bit strange for a one country like United States. Another surprise for me is that the statue of Sir Winston Churchill was sprayed with graffiti. He was my hero up to now.

See you.
Saturday, 20 June, 2020
Graham said…
Hello José,

The killing of George Floyd was shocking and the police officers involved should face the full force of the law. Unfortunately, we see such incidents all too often though they are likely only the tip of the iceberg. I wonder how many people die at the hands of the police in the US and how many of them are black or hispanic. I wonder how many police officers die on duty too.

There remain many injustices in this world but the tearing down of statues is not going to resolve any of them.

I could say so much more but I'll leave it there for now.



Firstly, I want to make it very clear that the death of Mr. Floyd was a savage, barbaric and cruel murder. It was cold-blooded murder. The murderer was waiting for him (not sure what you mean here). I hope the Americans give him justice. What is more, I agree with these protests and demonstrations. They are right. But I don´t agree with some people taking advantage of those demonstrations to use violence all over the USA to break shop windows, loot shops and businesses and knock down everything they can. Violence never leads anywhere.

In any way (not sure what you mean - this expression is incorrect), everybody said that there is racism in USA. I know racism is in every country, you only have to look and, then, we would surprise ourselves about just how much racism there is all over the world. However, the Americans have been grappling with this problem for many years. It´s very sad.

I can see that Mr. Trump has called protesters anarchists and domestic terrorists and he has sought refuge in the White House bunker, that is a bit strange for a country like the United States. Another surprise for me is that the statue of Sir Winston Churchill was sprayed with graffiti. He has been my hero up to now. (and there is no reason for you to stop looking up to him)
Monday, 22 June, 2020
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