The controversy over statues in Europe

In the US and Europe, statues of figures accused of supporting racism are being taken down. Far-right extremists and hooligans demonstrated in London in support of these statues.

On Saturday, May 13, London witnessed an unprecedented demonstration. Hundreds of far-right extremists and hooligans gathered in Parliament Square in the British capital to “defend” their country’s “war monuments” from destruction by anti-racist protesters.

In a report published by Der Spiegel Online on Sunday about the gathering, several demonstrators spoke about the protest movements of recent days.

The street protests of the last three weeks are not unique to London, but are the result of the killing of George Floyd, a black American citizen, in a violent operation by a white police officer, and are taking place in a number of countries in the Americas and Europe.

Protesters are demanding the removal of all symbols of racism, and in this regard, they are either destroying statues with paint and other means or pulling them down.

They believe that the presence of these statues in public places shows that racist ideas still exist in these countries. For this reason, they are calling for the removal of statues of Christopher Columbus, known as the main discoverer of the Americas, Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister, Leopold II, former King of Belgium, and a large number of famous political and military figures from the colonial era.

Violent protests

In its report on the London rally on Saturday, Spiegel Online writes that the right-wingers and hooligans did not come to "defend" but rather, holding beer bottles, chanting nationalist slogans and attacking police officers, journalists and photographers.

According to officials, 15 people, including two police officers, were treated for their injuries that day.

A simultaneous anti-racism demonstration was scheduled for Saturday, but police postponed the protest until Friday to prevent clashes between the two groups.

The German weekly news website Der Spiegel also reported that a large number of protesters had attended the rally to "defend their British identity."

One protester, Sean, said he had never heard of Edward Colston, a notorious British slave owner. He and his friends are protesting to defend “war monuments.”

Sean has stressed that Churchill is part of his country's "proud history."

Racism debate

Spiegel Online continues its report by adding that for Sean and his friends, the discussion of racism is largely incomprehensible.

"We are working class and grew up in apartments that the government built for the needy," he says of the privileges that whites have over blacks.

Johnny, another protester with tattoos and a scar on the right side of his face, said that for him, too, the discussion about racism was meaningless, stressing that "history belongs in the past."

A small number of anti-racism activists were also present on the sidelines of Saturday's demonstration to demonstrate their opposition to the demonstration.

Doha Ragni is one of them. She believes that those who defend these statues are actually defending the idea that white people are better than others.

The 28-year-old, who was born in London to an Indo-Jamaican family and considers herself a British citizen, has insisted she is willing to discuss racism with far-right protesters, "as long as they are not drunk".

Source: DW