Protests are currently taking place all over the world in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign. From Minnesota to London, Amsterdam to Berlin, crowds of people are calling for freedom, justice and equality for black people across the globe following the brutal murder of George Floyd.
Protests in Bristol, UK, have made the news in recent days after a statue of Edward Colston, a man who was involved with the slave trade in the 1700s, was pulled down by protestors. Once the statue had been toppled from its plinth, it was subsequently thrown into the docks– no mean feat given that it’s made of bronze.
Many high-profile people have spoken out in support of the toppling of the Colston statue, including SOAS alumni David Lammy.
I don't ever condone criminal acts. I have seen too many burnt buildings, burnt cars, people who have lost everything, in riots.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 8, 2020
But it is shameful to treat a slave trader like Edward Colston as an icon.
The statue should have come down a long time ago in a democratic way. #GMB pic.twitter.com/8qLVyh4kqZ
Dr. Rahul Rao, senior lecturer in Politics at SOAS, no stranger to the complex issues raised by statues of racists, also praised efforts of the Bristol protestors.
feeling so much love for #BLMbristol for doing what needed to be done to #colston. for anyone looking for resources on why statues of racist and casteist creeps need to go, here are some arguments. links below and the TL;DR version is a thread.
— Rahul Rao (@thariel) June 7, 2020
He then proceeded to explain his reasonings, and to say a thing or two on the subject of racist monuments.
2/ if statues were merely symbolic, racial and caste supremacists wouldn't keep building them at great expense; also, there’s nothing mere about symbolism https://t.co/KwjaeaJwbt
— Rahul Rao (@thariel) June 7, 2020
This is not the first time Dr. Rao has spoken about the politics of statues.
Rao reminds us that it’s important to think about the multiple contexts a statue may have – not to mention the cost of erecting one, and who’s paying.
4/ “but aren’t you whitewashing history?” often it’s the statues that are doing the whitewashing; statues are pricey, so they’re usually propaganda for history’s rich and villainous winners rather than mute, faithful witnesses to events https://t.co/IgjQNyNFJt
— Rahul Rao (@thariel) June 7, 2020
But do we still have a duty to memorialise these people? Or have the Bristol protestors got the right idea?
6/ “can’t you put up a plaque?” can we get aesthetically serious here? what’s your tiny plaque going to do to the big guy on the plinth? sometimes he’s just gotta get in the fucking sea
— Rahul Rao (@thariel) June 7, 2020
Take a look at Dr. Rao’s Twitter thread for further reading suggestions.
Dr. Rahul Rao is a senior lecturer in Politics at SOAS.
Featured image: Bedminster Fire Station.
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