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How The Toppling of Statues Emphasises the Need to Address History
The Enduring Power and Symbolism of Statues
Yesterday a scene that is associated with the downfall of brutal regimes played out on the streets of Bristol in England.
A statue was toppled from its plinth, rolled towards the harbour and dumped in the sea. By all accounts, it was an extraordinary scene, one that has led to jubilation in some quarters and dismay in others.
But why did this happen? Who was the man depicted in the statue? And why did it cause such uproar? These questions are key to understanding how the moment we are living through.
The toppling of the statue happened at a Black Lives Matter rally. Following the horrific death of George Floyd in Minnesota, protests have not only sprung up in America but around the world too.
The visceral and shocking images of Floyd’s death at the knee of a policeman, have galvanised people to take to the streets despite the Coronavirus which still stalks many countries, not least America.
The protests serve to highlight the maltreatment black people and ethnic minorities face at the hands of the police and society in general. What the toppling of this statue shows is that the protest is now beginning to morph into a wider issue.
