Don’t let vandalism airbrush history
As the Bristol slaver, Edward Colston fell into the water, the Bristol crowd, which had campaigned for years to get rid of his statue, cheered. Days later, the Mayor of London provided a miracle by getting public sector work done overnight and removed slaver, Robert Milligan from outside the museum of London Docklands. No democratic vote, no conversation, no community engagement; just the removal of a deplorable, visual reminder. In the aftermath, division has arisen and while other statues are being targeted, it’s clear that we now have a few choices to make about these fallen figures. Do we replace them with someone else? Retain public space? Or, use the plinths as a reminder of the past? The choices that are made may influence the length of time it takes to rid ourselves of the maximum amount of racism and inspire sustained change, therefore the decision should not be rushed. However, with websites already being put up that identify other statues that must go, th...