The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #167690   Message #4058546
Posted By: DMcG
10-Jun-20 - 06:12 AM
Thread Name: BS: UK thread, Politics and political
Subject: RE: BS: UK thread, Politics and political
The problem with any statue - Colston, Rhodes, Churchill, Harris, or pretty much anyone at all - is that the statue is almost invariably idolising one aspect of their lives and ignoring all the rest. So there is good reason to have a statue of Churchill because of his role in WW2. But if you do, you should expect the Irish to remember the Black and Tans, the Australians Gallipoli, women his opposition to women's votes, India his role in partition, and so on. And it is right that you should learn these views are as valid as your own.

What the best response is will vary depending on the situation, but I find plaques and museums generally better than simply removing the references. In the case of the concert hall, for example, I would prefer a notice inside explaining the previous name and why it was changed, rather than just changing it. If it is not a problem for shipping, I would see little harm leaving Colston's statue where it is and adding a plaque telling the whole story, including Floyd and the events leading up to the removal of the statue. 'In the water adjacent to this plaque is a statue of ... "