City-wide review of statues and monuments in Leeds – Wharfedale Observer

STATUES and monuments across Leeds are to come under scrutiny following the Black Lives Matter protests.

Leeds City Council announced the review as part of its response to an ongoing debate around statues of some historic figures.

It will be led by the citys first female BAME ward councillor Alison Lowe, who represented Labour from 1990 to 2019 and is the chief executive of mental health charity Touchstone.

The move follows actions by other local authorities across the country who have seen demonstrations and protests including the toppling of the statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

Leeds City Council leader Councillor Judith Blake said: Were incredibly proud of our diverse multicultural city here in Leeds and particularly proud of the relationships we have and the work we do with our communities across the city.

Its absolutely crucial to us that we keep those relationships strong and everything we do is done in a spirit of dialogue, consultation and, most importantly, listening to peoples views.

We have decided to look at the statues we have in the city and understand their background to ensure our citys rich multi-cultural history is appropriately celebrated and represented and also to identify any gaps that exist."

Earlier this week demonstrators daubed graffiti on a statue of Queen Victoria in Woodhouse Moor. Council officers have since cleaned the statue up.

Cllr Blake said: As a council and a city we will always support freedom of speech and peoples rights to express their views in a peaceful and respectful way. However, we do have established policies regarding graffiti on public property and will continue to enforce these.

Among the statues highlighted by protestors for removal are those of Sir Robert Peel, known as the father of modern British policing. A statue in Leeds is one of many memorials around the country to the former Prime Minister and reformer. It is listed on the website Topple the Racists - but it is unclear whether protestors are confusing him with his textile-manufacturer father, who opposed the abolition of slavery.

Peels government introduced important social reforms, including acts forbidding the employment of women and children in mines and limiting their working hours in factories. He also fought against his own party to repeal the Corn Laws, to makemore food available for Ireland during the potato famine. A petition on change.org to remove his statue in Leeds has gained nearly 1,400 signatures. Cllr Blake said there seemed to be recognition that there had been some misunderstanding about Robert Peel whose statue is in Leeds, and that it was actually his father who worked in the cotton trade.

The rest is here:

City-wide review of statues and monuments in Leeds - Wharfedale Observer