The movement against racism and social injustice following the killing of George Floyd has called out many to reconsider the statues, monuments, and memorials currently standing in a number of cities around the globe.
What started off as the toppling of statues that honored and celebrated slavery and racism has now grown into a whole parallel movement that pushes everyone to rethink people and events in history. Since protesters started taking down certain statues, city governments and private owners started to do the same.
Now, this may be one of the few times when statues are taken down virtually en-masse, but it is definitely not the first time statues are taken down in general as the people associated with them were later proven to be not worthy of one.
Bored Panda has collected a list of some of the most memorable statues that have been taken down for one reason or another. Check out the list below, and while you’re at it, be sure to vote and comment on them! And if you want more statues, Bored Panda has recently published an article on 29 statues that are better than the ones protesters are tearing down, commemorating heroes and events against the evils of the world.
This post may include affiliate links.
Bust of Bill Cosby (American comedian) in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, taken down in July, 2015 due to accusations of sexual assault.
Commemorative brick dedicated to Gary Glitter (English glam rock singer) removed from the Wall of Fame at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. It was taken down in November, 2008 due to Glitter's possession of child pornography, child sexual abuse, and attempted rape of minors.
Statue of Joe Paterno (American football player) in Penn State's Beaver Stadium, Pennsylvania, taken down on July 22, 2012 due to his child sex abuse scandals.
Burn it. Anyone who takes advantage of children deserves to be erased from history.
Statue of Leopold II Of Belgium (King of the Belgians) in Ekeren, Belgium, taken down in June, 2020 for colonialist exploitation and other atrocities.
This guy was particularly bad. Murdered hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Africans for rubber. Slavery had been abolished in Belgium, but since Congo was a colony he got away with it into the 20th century.
Statue of Edward Colston (English merchant) in Bristol, UK, taken down on 7 June, 2020 for his involvement in slave trade.
Statue of Saddam Hussein (President of Iraq) in Baghdad, Iraq, taken down on April 9, 2003 during the invasion of Iraq by the US forces.
Statue of Christopher Columbus (Italian navigator and admiral) in Richmond, Virginia, taken down, spray-painted, set on fire, and thrown into a nearby lake by protestors on June 9, 2020 in solidarity with Native Americans.
I'm assuming the people who took the statue down also gave their land back to it's original owners and Richmond, Virginia is currently the property of Native Americans? Otherwise it's just "thoughts and prayers" with vandalism.
To people replying to Ksenia with "read history, he was horrible and so are you"; know that Ksenia could infact be Native American herself. Please re-read her statement through those lenses.
Load More Replies...
I am Native American, and the past is the past. We cannot change it, or reimburse for it for any race of people. We can only change the future and the present. I do not condone destruction of property of any type. Violence and destruction is only going to yield violence and destruction. There are ways to legally have had this statue removed, recycled, and or repurposed.
Even if you all rip down Statues of such Ppl, it wont change the Fact theyr Part of the History, and only looking for the negative Part isnt good either.
OTOH, the Columbus legends have enjoyed over 500 years of sanitized good publicity in the history books, schools, museums and other cultural institutions. After half a millennium, some iconoclastic corrections are inevitable.
Load More Replies...
A metal statue set on fire? Now that sounds like the really clever oney were at work...
Bronze statues are hollow and surprisingly thin. That's why it's so easy to decapitate them. In fact, they require quite a bit maintenance. Hailstones, birds and regular movements of the Earth cause holes and cracks in them. Setting them on fire warps ave cracks them, then dousing them in cold water really does a number on them.
Load More Replies...
By the way, Columbus never found "america". That was a guy named Amerigo Vespucci.
If we want to get really technical, it was the Norse, specifically the merchant, Bjarni Herjoifsson. First (officially) physically visited by Leif Erikson in 1000 AD.
Load More Replies...
By doing so you'll forget the history. You can't just erase eras that you don't like or agree with. That'll only lead to future people repeating the same mistakes. Btw, no one knows for sure where Columbus came from, but the expedition was financed by the Spanish Crown. There were for sure murders and some violence, yet the Spaniards weren't sanguinary people. They married indigenous people and accepted their culture. Their only aim was to spread the Catholicism. He wasn't the first man to travel to America, yet the first one to make it public in Europe. Also, the vikings only reached Canada and Columbus explored North and South America. Countries celebrate his discovery because of the changes it provoked in the known world. How would you feel if, suddenly, someone discovered a new continent out of nothing in an era where you thought everything had already been discovered? It was a huge milestone in history.
Your core argument is not well considered. The monuments celebrate individuals who no longer meet the criteria for public honor. That's why statues of dictators are removed when the dictators are removed from office. But that doesn't remove their actions from history. You know full well what Hitler did, but it doesn't require a statue to him to remind you.
Load More Replies...
There is so much nonsense fake-history about Columbus these days. He's currently blamed for everything that happened during his time-frame. For instance, impressions that he had anything to do with slavery, is a plain distortion of historical evidence. And modern "historians" want to paint him with all manner of evil intent, when we can read in Columbus's own words why he took those journeys.
By extension of this line of reasoning, I am so looking forward to Donald Trump’s autobiography “in his own words” to set the historical record completely, absolutely, indisputably and unimpeachably 100% straight once and for all. After all, what could be closer to the real truth of actual historical events than the transcriptions by his own hand, corroborated by his own inner circle, play-by-play from his own unchallenged recollections, once the first-person narrative by this self-declared “very stable genius” have been memorialized in the printed word?
Load More Replies...
He didn't kill hundreds of thousands. Do you ever read?
Load More Replies...
One of histories most influential figures toren down by people who don't even understand why it was erected, if you think any historic figure is cast without fault or imperfections in their moral molding you are ridiculous. Their actions should be fully acknowledged; both good and bad, irregardless of what bad they have done they've done more good than anyone of these people, who history will swiftly forget. Inside of tearing down a historical statue erect a plaque, these peoples' idea of civil movement is a disrespectful attack on culture. If you want to instigate change teach by example; make a lesson of history don't scribble over it. Let it stand as a monument of progress, not be torn down so we may repeat it
Even if you ignore the fact that people actually lived in the places Columbus "discovered," why we celebrate him in the US is unclear to me. He didn't land anywhere near here, nor was he the first European to do so. He landed in the West Indies.
Wikipedia: "For the 400th anniversary in 1892, following a lynching in New Orleans where a mob had murdered 11 Italian immigrants, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a one-time national celebration. The proclamation was part of a wider effort after the lynching incident to placate Italian Americans and ease diplomatic tensions with Italy. During the anniversary in 1892, teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used rituals to teach ideals of patriotism. These rituals took themes such as citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and the celebration of social progress."
Load More Replies...
well to be fair and in solidarity with Native Americans all the protesters and U.S.A citizens should gtfo of the native's land
those protestors if they were trully in solidarity with the native americans should leave the american continent immediately LOL. not bla bla bla on a statue ;)
So, let's all immigrants in the US, no matter from when their ancestors come, go back to their country of origin and let the Indigenous people rule North America! I can believe there is such of an uneducated people....
Protestors are trying to destroy statues of Spanish explorers in Albuquerque, N.M. The statues are on museum property. (Popay, a Native American, led the pueblos' revolt against the Spanish, killing all the soldiers, priests and colonial administrators. Popay's statue was erected in the U.S. Capitol by the state of New Mexico.)
All of a sudden Spanish are the bad guys and everybody forget what the British, French, Germans, Dutch and Americans themselves did.
Load More Replies...
While I agree with the concept of these actions, I have to ask... do the protestors have permission from the statues' artist(s)? I'll never argue that the statues should stay up in places of honor, but if their destruction isn't approved of by someone who potentially labored for months to make it it seems a bit morally ambiguous.
Most dont care who "labored for months" to make a statue honoring a slave driver or rapist. They just come down, since they never should have been erected in the first place.
Load More Replies...
but wait, those native americans weren't so nice either in those days and those confrontations. Think what happened to Jamestown, the Pilgrims, homesteaders out west, etc. Nobody is pure good!
There is a big difference in learning about history and praising people in history who turned out to be dirt bags. Why don't people get that?
Load More Replies...
Farted on a train vs committed genocide and participated in child sex slave trade, potatoe pohtatoh
Load More Replies... 
most people haven't enslaved entire populations and cut their limbs off for failing to deliver enough gold. most people haven't played a huge part in starting the transatlantic slave trade. most people haven't sold girls as young as TEN as sex slaves. Columbus may have done some good, but that doesn't mean we should glorify him. he did what he did. history tends to be written by the winners, so please don't trust everything you hear without checking if it's true.
Load More Replies...
Statue of Frank Rizzo (American police officer and politician) in Center City Philadelphia, taken down on June 2, 2020 for his strong opposition against desegregation.
A Confederate memorial in Jacksonville, Florida, taken down on June 9, 2020 as part of the mayor's plan to remove all confederate monuments, memorials, and markers during the George Floyd protests.
the column is beautiful, maybe they could have change this monument a bit, not take down entirely
Statue of Edward Ward Carmack (newspaperman and political figure) in Tennessee Capitol, taken down in June, 2020 for his views against African Americans and encouraged retaliation against the support of the Civil Rights Movement.
Statue of J.F.C. Hamilton (British Naval Officer and namesake of Hamilton City) in Hamilton, New Zealand, taken down on June 12, 2020 by the request of the Maori Tribal Confederation Waikato Tainui.
"One Riot, One Ranger" statue In Dallas, Texas, removed on June 4, 2020 for its reference to a riot by a white lynch mob and for the statue's model being used in helping prevent black students from enrolling in public schools.
I'm confused by the history of this statue and find the explanation provided ambiguous. Maybe in just being thick. Could someone clarify?
Statue of Cecil John Rhodes (British mining magnate and politician) in Cape Town, South Africa, taken down on 9 April, 2015 as part of a protest to decolonialize education in South Africa.
Why then do the same people who tore down this statue accept the famed "Rhodes scholarship" to study at Oxford??? Funny how the scholarship is less offensive
Dunham Massey Hall Sundial, taken down in June, 2020 as a degrading depiction of slavery during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
when came the point when people accepted this depiction as "norm"?? Racism, nazism, and other diminishing ideology didn't become accepted over night... it's a slow process.... starting from making fun of different human features, finishing with gas chambers. We need to be aware of small things to prevent big ones. It's horrible what human to human can do...
Statue of Orville L. Hubbard (Mayor of Dearborn) in Dearborn, Michigan, taken down on September 29, 2015 due to his strong views and policies supporting racial segregation.
Statue of Robert Milligan (Scottish merchant) in the Museum of London Docklands, taken down on June 9, 2020 for him being a slave owner.
Agree with other comments. We have history books. Statues are for deserving individuals who did amazing memorable things.
Monument to Robert E. Lee (Confederate General) in New Orleans, Louisiana, taken down on May 19, 2017 as part of a removal of four monuments associated with the Confederacy.
Public statues are a symbol of honor. Archaic statues, such as those of Roman tyrants, only belong in museums. History, if written as objectively as possible, will not forget the abject losers of the civil war. These deplorables authorized and administered the crime of human bondage the results of which we are still suffering. But they will not be lost to history just because they will no longer be allowed to be honored publicly.
Statue of Michael Jackson (American singer) in London, though officially not stated, it is speculated that it was removed in September, 2013 due to sexual allegations against Jackson.
Statue of Jefferson Davis in Frankfort, Kentucky, moved on June 13, 2020 by a vote of the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site due to him being a slave owner.
He was more than a slave owner. He was the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865.
Bust of John Mcdonogh in New Orleans, Louisiana, taken down on June 13, 2020 for being a slave owner.
Statue of Jerry Richardson (Former NFL Owner) in Charlotte, North Carolina, taken down to prevent possible vandalism due to allegations of sexual harassment and racist remarks to his former employees.
Statue of Kate Smith (American singer) at the Xfinity Live! Philadelphia Arena, taken down on April 21, 2019 due to controversy surrounding her 1931 recordings of "That's Why Darkies Were Born" and "Pickaninny Heaven".
Statue of Williams Carter Wickham in Richmond, Virginia, taken down on June 6, 2020 due to him being a slave owner.
Yea. a lot of people owned slaves, that was a social norm. I think that isn't a reason to take down the statue... if they were in some way a symbol of racial oppression, that's another story. Also there is a difference between pulled over by protesters and the city removed it.
Statue of Appomattox in Alexandria, Virginia, removed on June 2, 2020, was planned for removal after long discussions by the owner, United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Jefferson Davis Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, taken down on June 10, 2020 by protesters for depicting Jefferson Davis, a slave owner.
if instead of him they put a godess or an eagle or something and make a fountain at his feet this could have been reused :)
Monument to Robert E. Lee (Confederate General) in New Orleans, Louisiana, taken down on May 19, 2017 as part of a removal of four monuments associated with the Confederacy.
Captioned incorrectly. That is a picture of JEB Stuart on Monument Ave in Richmond VA
Statue of Charles Linn (Captain in the Confederate Navy) in Birmingham, Alabaman, toppled on May 31, 2020 by protestors who unsuccessfully attempted to remove the nearby Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
They attempted to remove a statue commemorating soliders who fought and died? These people are the worst; they deal on absolutes but nearly all absolutes are wrong because nothing is. They think all soliders except those on this side of history had no redeeming qualities or moral complexity to their characters. This is honouring the dead.
Slave Auction Block in Fredericksburg, Virginia, taken down on June 5, 2020 as a symbol of racial oppression.
Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Birmingham, Alabama, removed in June, 2020, said to be taken down to ease continuing unrest originating from the George Floyd protests.
History cannot be unmade. Educating people is more important than destroying pieces of art, even if they do not show people who deserve honour. Would you also destroy the masks of Pharaos? Undoubtedly, they had people killed and tortured and kept slaves. These masks document history and art thoguh. muesums are the right places for them!
Most of these statues were erected decades after the Civil War at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. They were erected to remind blacks they were inferior to whites. While you are arguing for education and historical significance, it would be good to know all of the facts. I don't see those little fact nuggets inscribed on the statues. Yet, they can be posted next to the statues in museums, just like the Pharaoh masks.
Load More Replies...
Important to remember that a good portion of these statues weren't made because they were important historical figures, but because they were wealthy men. Hopefully we can replace them with more deserving historical figures.
Most of these statues were places in the early 60's at the height of the Civil Rights movement to remind black Americans that they were inferior to whites. They were placed as a monument to those that owned slaves so as to say to the black population, "See this guy, he owned slaves so we honor him. We are superior to you." It is saddest time in the US History.
Load More Replies...
If I am not mistaken, there were numerous requests made to government officials to take down at least some of these statues and the statues weren't removed. Please consider that before you condemn folks for taking them down. It's still happening - POTUS has been asked to rename military bases named after Confederate officers/officials and he has said he won't. And, if you are OK with the citizens of Iraq taking down the statue of Sadam Hussein but opposed people in America taking down statues of slave traders, opponents of segregation, men who committed acts of violence against women and/or children, you are a hypocrite as far as I am concerned.
POTUS is a far right sympathiser, straight up, and so all of those support him and love him and think he's'doing a great job'. I see nothing wrong with taking down these statues. Just because they were 'fine' once upon a time, doesn't mean they have to stay now that we find their origins offensive. They're just statues. It's not like anyone's being killed, just bronze or resin.
Load More Replies...
I don't buy the argument that people think these should remain for Historical reasons. First, because many of these were erected during the Civil Rights Movement as a huge f**k you to the black community. They did it out of racism rather than a love of history, and they did it in prominent public spaces. 2) Given the time gap between the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement, it would be like Germany erecting Hitler statues in prominent public spaces today, you okay with that? You going to stand by that decision? 3) I am kind of hope they put the spray painted ones in museums under BLM sections. If we want to keep a piece of history, which I do agree with, keep it where it belongs, not in our town squares.
There are not a lot of statues of people who did not abuse their power in any way. Queen Victoria is not better as Cecil Rhodes or Leopold II of Belgium. Will we also change all presidents on the dollar bills, who had slaves?
Why. Goerge washington... Christopher Columbus Our first president and the guy who discovered America It's asinine to destroy these works of art
Load More Replies...
Textbooks exist. I know about all of these people without having to see their bronzed faces everyday. This is not erasing history. Taking down a Jefferson Davis statue doesn’t erase him in the conscious of the public. It’s not like we’ll forget who he was or that he existed, again, textbooks. Statues do not present a layered account of a person’s life and what they were like. They are a glorified depiction of a complicated person. Taking down these statues is more symbolic than what the statues represent. It’s a show of solidarity and an acknowledgment that enshrining racists, slave owners, and sex offenders in the name of “education” is neither aligned with the general view of the public (I hope), nor the best way to educate people about them.
Emma Clark : very important point made and well said. Thank you!
Load More Replies... While some of these make sense to remove others do not. Just because someone in the 1700's, a time where Slavery was legal in every country in the world owned slaves is not a good reason. Some should be removed, others should not.
People tend to conveniently forget that a lot of African slaves were sold by African slave owners, particularly the Ashanti people who sold them in exchange for guns. Before people bombard me with incorrect accusations, I'm obviously not saying it wasn't still an horrific event but why don't people comment on that? Ah yes, because it doesn't fit the left's agenda. Modern day slavery exists all over the world, why isn't that being addressed?
Load More Replies... One of histories most influential figures toren down by people who don't even understand why it was erected, if you think any historic figure is cast without fault or imperfections in their moral molding you are ridiculous. Their actions should be fully acknowledged; both good and bad, irregardless of what bad they have done they've done more good than anyone of these people, who history will swiftly forget. Inside of tearing down a historical statue erect a plaque, these peoples' idea of civil movement is a disrespectful attack on culture. If you want to instigate change teach by example; make a lesson of history don't scribble over it. Let it stand as a monument of progress, not be torn down so we may repeat it
I believe we should amend statues, not destroy or get rid of them. We can't get rid of history, we need history. We have to learn about history so we don't make the same mistakes. Should we just ignore or forget about all of the wars or terrible things that happened? No, we should learn about them. I agree, some of these statues are inhumane but you shouldn't take down statues of important historical figures because they owned slaves. They may have had slaves but they did a lot of things for our country. Amend them. Don't get rid of them.
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
Really? back all that up with proof or something...ahhh....somewhat factual
Load More Replies... Someone needs to come build a big a*s statue of Stalin under my bedroom window or I may forget he existed I'm sorry the preservation of history argument is weak if people are getting the majority of their history lessons from statues then I have figured out why people are so surprised at what an evil d******d Christopher Columbus was
Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it (don't remember the author).
Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it. (Don't remember the author).
Let he who is without sin be the first in line to eras history because they don´t like it
Try as hard as they might, they can't erase history because they are offended.
Running around like children tearing down historic monuments will not help anybody. And slave owners at that time weren’t evil people, that was the norm during their lifetime and you have to realize that what we now understand as oppression and discrimination wasn’t understood back then.
It is completely crazy! Nobody is perfect and the view is changing during the time, depending on the politics, ideology, poverty. I cannot judge the Confederation characters or U. S. racism since I am living in a ethnically uniform country. But we have some emperors, kings, whose statues went up, down, up, as political representation changed, our favorite Emperor was first beloved for religious toleration, then hated as symbol of germanisation and today, his statues are renowned in all hospitals he established working up to these days. Maybe in the future, when all people will be vegans, we will destroy all statues of people once eating dead corpses...??
Again you really can’t fault a person for being a man of their times. But here’s a thought, how about an article about statues comemerating good people? Like in sakskoebing denmark there is a statue of the sesonal beet harvest girls.
https://www.boredpanda.com/social-political-activists-statues/ :)
Load More Replies...
When are they going take down FDR's statute. He refuse to allow the SS St Louis. The German ship had just under 1,.000 Jewish passengers. Hitler was letting the leave. But FDR did not want have them in the country.
Wow, I am definitely not jealous of states with such a controversial history. Relieved not to have to deal with it.
Statues are made to honor a person. All statues like these should be taken down as most in the US statues like this were put up to demoralize. To keep balance: there should be lists made of all honorable individuals that should replace the ones taken down. ALL The ones taken down should be taken to A single designated place for educational reasons.
Who do you consider is honorable and have a statue erected for them?
Load More Replies...
Lets tear down the White House because it was built with slaves, take down the Washington monument because he had 300 slaves, Thomas Jefferson had 175 slaves, Ulysses S Grant and Andrew Jackson were both slave owners.
Statues of people who were slave owners are being torn down but I doubt the same thing will happen with Abraham Lincoln. He only passed the Emancipation Proclamation as a political strategy, he owned a slave himself.
Some people in these coments are far too attached to statues, or what they stand for....
Some people is these coments are far too attached to statues ,or what they stand for.....
Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo is in the back praying it happens...
I recently visited Panama City and found the approach of covering the statues very interesting. I'm not sure why they were covered, but maybe it could be applied to all statues of controversial figures. By doing so, we are not erasing history, nor re-writing it, we are just giving it proper attention to make people think about why we erected statues to those persons in the first place and how we evolved as a society. The plaques could be updated with new texts as well. By removing something form it's place we are erasing a part of history, while we should educate the public for what it actually was and not erase parts of it. By doing so, these statues put in ropes and completely covered (silenced), will serve as a reminder of a dark era in global history that shouldn't be celebrated, but shouldn't be erased as well. snip1-5eea...f4c452.jpg 
There is the Rocky statue in Philadelphia, a really nice Shrek statue in a park somewhere out west, and the one of Jim Henson talking to Kermit can all stay.
Load More Replies...
For those of you opposing the removals of these statues, show the kind of people you are.
This rioting is all about erasing white history and replacing it with black people's names and images, utter nonsense. Give any race an inch and they take a mile!!
The only true traitors are those that destroy and want to erase history.
NOBODY HERE wants to erase history. We just want to stop glorifying terrible people. Put those statues in museums and talk about those people in history class, don't put them on pedestals in the middle of a busy street.
Load More Replies...
You left out a bunch. Statues of abolitionists and people who helped Jews flee the Nazis. Memorials to Black soldiers, statues of Lincoln. Anti-fascists defaced Churchill's statue, even though he is the worlds most successful anti-fascist. They are going after all of the statues, monuments, and flags, because they follow the Maoist goal of the destruction of the "four olds"
The Dutch need to remove statue of J.P Coen too.. For he is an oppressor and real bad guy
Reminds me of the Middle Ages when books were burnt...breaking down a statue isnt't bravery it's just vadalism (like looting isn't a demonstration or kind of speak up). Better way is to place an information, explanatory notes, etc. But this requires time and effort
Riots... Vandalism... Loting... Fighting... Setting s**t on fire... Forcing opinions onto another... Yeah, creating a better world where all human races live happilly together is really going well guys..... I would like to see a more positive approach. Post a picture on social-media with a friend, neighbour etc. of a different colour with the hashtag #colourdoesn'tmatter. Show that people of different races CAN get allong, cause they do. Only the rotten apples get the attention.. sick of that.
Color does matter, it matters a lot. Does your gender matter to you as a part of your personal identity? Would you be okay with someone refusing to acknowledge your gender identity? Ignoring race is ignoring a huge part of their background and experiences. Slavery ended 155 years ago, people shouldn't just sit silently back and pretend that race isn't important when black people are being murdered in the streets and in their own homes. To say color doesn't matter is to state that difference is a negative. Instead of ignoring race we should acknowledge it and accept people who do not look like us and accept their differences as a contribution to society rather than a failure. My race means a lot to me, my gender means a lot to me. Don't deny peoples identity, it matters.
Load More Replies...
Yes, that is the solution, destroying historical statues. And people wonder why there is discrimination.
'Taken down' Are you kidding me? Try vandalized and destroyed. Illegally. You want a statue 'taken down', you go through the local government's legal process, with public votes and input.
They did. Many were ignored. In one case, they were about to remove a statue and 2 local businesses interjected and stopped the will of the local citizens. What do you want people to do when their government isn't listening to them? Sit back and shrug. America would still be apart of England then! OTOH, The UK does have universal health care so...
Load More Replies... You haven't thought this through Nunya...your solution of 'replace' would first require 'tearing down' ....have another go x
Load More Replies...
Couldn't disagree with you more...can you imagine,for a moment,being a black student at a school named after a man who made his fortune through slavery? Having to walk past his statue every day? I can't imagine what it is like...that's why I am prepared to be told what it is like by those who know.
Load More Replies...
The Nazis burned books that promoted equality, tolerance, or anything outside the very selective sphere of what version of history they wanted to promote (aka, the 'glorious aryan history'. Which wasn't even true.) These people are tearing down statues glorifying oppressors and abusers, not trying to erase history. Completely different.
Load More Replies...
Maybe you should vote for people who want to increase funding for education. It would be more effective and a longer term solution.
Load More Replies... They're not necessarily all stupid. But they sure do pick the worst martyrs for their cause......usually career violent criminals.
Load More Replies... History cannot be unmade. Educating people is more important than destroying pieces of art, even if they do not show people who deserve honour. Would you also destroy the masks of Pharaos? Undoubtedly, they had people killed and tortured and kept slaves. These masks document history and art thoguh. muesums are the right places for them!
Most of these statues were erected decades after the Civil War at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. They were erected to remind blacks they were inferior to whites. While you are arguing for education and historical significance, it would be good to know all of the facts. I don't see those little fact nuggets inscribed on the statues. Yet, they can be posted next to the statues in museums, just like the Pharaoh masks.
Load More Replies... Important to remember that a good portion of these statues weren't made because they were important historical figures, but because they were wealthy men. Hopefully we can replace them with more deserving historical figures.
Most of these statues were places in the early 60's at the height of the Civil Rights movement to remind black Americans that they were inferior to whites. They were placed as a monument to those that owned slaves so as to say to the black population, "See this guy, he owned slaves so we honor him. We are superior to you." It is saddest time in the US History.
Load More Replies... If I am not mistaken, there were numerous requests made to government officials to take down at least some of these statues and the statues weren't removed. Please consider that before you condemn folks for taking them down. It's still happening - POTUS has been asked to rename military bases named after Confederate officers/officials and he has said he won't. And, if you are OK with the citizens of Iraq taking down the statue of Sadam Hussein but opposed people in America taking down statues of slave traders, opponents of segregation, men who committed acts of violence against women and/or children, you are a hypocrite as far as I am concerned.
POTUS is a far right sympathiser, straight up, and so all of those support him and love him and think he's'doing a great job'. I see nothing wrong with taking down these statues. Just because they were 'fine' once upon a time, doesn't mean they have to stay now that we find their origins offensive. They're just statues. It's not like anyone's being killed, just bronze or resin.
Load More Replies... I don't buy the argument that people think these should remain for Historical reasons. First, because many of these were erected during the Civil Rights Movement as a huge f**k you to the black community. They did it out of racism rather than a love of history, and they did it in prominent public spaces. 2) Given the time gap between the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement, it would be like Germany erecting Hitler statues in prominent public spaces today, you okay with that? You going to stand by that decision? 3) I am kind of hope they put the spray painted ones in museums under BLM sections. If we want to keep a piece of history, which I do agree with, keep it where it belongs, not in our town squares.
There are not a lot of statues of people who did not abuse their power in any way. Queen Victoria is not better as Cecil Rhodes or Leopold II of Belgium. Will we also change all presidents on the dollar bills, who had slaves?
Why. Goerge washington... Christopher Columbus Our first president and the guy who discovered America It's asinine to destroy these works of art
Load More Replies... Textbooks exist. I know about all of these people without having to see their bronzed faces everyday. This is not erasing history. Taking down a Jefferson Davis statue doesn’t erase him in the conscious of the public. It’s not like we’ll forget who he was or that he existed, again, textbooks. Statues do not present a layered account of a person’s life and what they were like. They are a glorified depiction of a complicated person. Taking down these statues is more symbolic than what the statues represent. It’s a show of solidarity and an acknowledgment that enshrining racists, slave owners, and sex offenders in the name of “education” is neither aligned with the general view of the public (I hope), nor the best way to educate people about them.
Emma Clark : very important point made and well said. Thank you!
Load More Replies... While some of these make sense to remove others do not. Just because someone in the 1700's, a time where Slavery was legal in every country in the world owned slaves is not a good reason. Some should be removed, others should not.
People tend to conveniently forget that a lot of African slaves were sold by African slave owners, particularly the Ashanti people who sold them in exchange for guns. Before people bombard me with incorrect accusations, I'm obviously not saying it wasn't still an horrific event but why don't people comment on that? Ah yes, because it doesn't fit the left's agenda. Modern day slavery exists all over the world, why isn't that being addressed?
Load More Replies... One of histories most influential figures toren down by people who don't even understand why it was erected, if you think any historic figure is cast without fault or imperfections in their moral molding you are ridiculous. Their actions should be fully acknowledged; both good and bad, irregardless of what bad they have done they've done more good than anyone of these people, who history will swiftly forget. Inside of tearing down a historical statue erect a plaque, these peoples' idea of civil movement is a disrespectful attack on culture. If you want to instigate change teach by example; make a lesson of history don't scribble over it. Let it stand as a monument of progress, not be torn down so we may repeat it
I believe we should amend statues, not destroy or get rid of them. We can't get rid of history, we need history. We have to learn about history so we don't make the same mistakes. Should we just ignore or forget about all of the wars or terrible things that happened? No, we should learn about them. I agree, some of these statues are inhumane but you shouldn't take down statues of important historical figures because they owned slaves. They may have had slaves but they did a lot of things for our country. Amend them. Don't get rid of them.
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
Really? back all that up with proof or something...ahhh....somewhat factual
Load More Replies... Someone needs to come build a big a*s statue of Stalin under my bedroom window or I may forget he existed I'm sorry the preservation of history argument is weak if people are getting the majority of their history lessons from statues then I have figured out why people are so surprised at what an evil d******d Christopher Columbus was
Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it (don't remember the author).
Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it. (Don't remember the author).
Let he who is without sin be the first in line to eras history because they don´t like it
Try as hard as they might, they can't erase history because they are offended.
Running around like children tearing down historic monuments will not help anybody. And slave owners at that time weren’t evil people, that was the norm during their lifetime and you have to realize that what we now understand as oppression and discrimination wasn’t understood back then.
It is completely crazy! Nobody is perfect and the view is changing during the time, depending on the politics, ideology, poverty. I cannot judge the Confederation characters or U. S. racism since I am living in a ethnically uniform country. But we have some emperors, kings, whose statues went up, down, up, as political representation changed, our favorite Emperor was first beloved for religious toleration, then hated as symbol of germanisation and today, his statues are renowned in all hospitals he established working up to these days. Maybe in the future, when all people will be vegans, we will destroy all statues of people once eating dead corpses...??
Again you really can’t fault a person for being a man of their times. But here’s a thought, how about an article about statues comemerating good people? Like in sakskoebing denmark there is a statue of the sesonal beet harvest girls.
https://www.boredpanda.com/social-political-activists-statues/ :)
Load More Replies... When are they going take down FDR's statute. He refuse to allow the SS St Louis. The German ship had just under 1,.000 Jewish passengers. Hitler was letting the leave. But FDR did not want have them in the country.
Wow, I am definitely not jealous of states with such a controversial history. Relieved not to have to deal with it.
Statues are made to honor a person. All statues like these should be taken down as most in the US statues like this were put up to demoralize. To keep balance: there should be lists made of all honorable individuals that should replace the ones taken down. ALL The ones taken down should be taken to A single designated place for educational reasons.
Who do you consider is honorable and have a statue erected for them?
Load More Replies... Lets tear down the White House because it was built with slaves, take down the Washington monument because he had 300 slaves, Thomas Jefferson had 175 slaves, Ulysses S Grant and Andrew Jackson were both slave owners.
Statues of people who were slave owners are being torn down but I doubt the same thing will happen with Abraham Lincoln. He only passed the Emancipation Proclamation as a political strategy, he owned a slave himself.
Some people in these coments are far too attached to statues, or what they stand for....
Some people is these coments are far too attached to statues ,or what they stand for.....
Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo is in the back praying it happens...
I recently visited Panama City and found the approach of covering the statues very interesting. I'm not sure why they were covered, but maybe it could be applied to all statues of controversial figures. By doing so, we are not erasing history, nor re-writing it, we are just giving it proper attention to make people think about why we erected statues to those persons in the first place and how we evolved as a society. The plaques could be updated with new texts as well. By removing something form it's place we are erasing a part of history, while we should educate the public for what it actually was and not erase parts of it. By doing so, these statues put in ropes and completely covered (silenced), will serve as a reminder of a dark era in global history that shouldn't be celebrated, but shouldn't be erased as well. snip1-5eea...f4c452.jpg
There is the Rocky statue in Philadelphia, a really nice Shrek statue in a park somewhere out west, and the one of Jim Henson talking to Kermit can all stay.
Load More Replies... For those of you opposing the removals of these statues, show the kind of people you are.
This rioting is all about erasing white history and replacing it with black people's names and images, utter nonsense. Give any race an inch and they take a mile!!
The only true traitors are those that destroy and want to erase history.
NOBODY HERE wants to erase history. We just want to stop glorifying terrible people. Put those statues in museums and talk about those people in history class, don't put them on pedestals in the middle of a busy street.
Load More Replies... You left out a bunch. Statues of abolitionists and people who helped Jews flee the Nazis. Memorials to Black soldiers, statues of Lincoln. Anti-fascists defaced Churchill's statue, even though he is the worlds most successful anti-fascist. They are going after all of the statues, monuments, and flags, because they follow the Maoist goal of the destruction of the "four olds"
The Dutch need to remove statue of J.P Coen too.. For he is an oppressor and real bad guy
Reminds me of the Middle Ages when books were burnt...breaking down a statue isnt't bravery it's just vadalism (like looting isn't a demonstration or kind of speak up). Better way is to place an information, explanatory notes, etc. But this requires time and effort
Riots... Vandalism... Loting... Fighting... Setting s**t on fire... Forcing opinions onto another... Yeah, creating a better world where all human races live happilly together is really going well guys..... I would like to see a more positive approach. Post a picture on social-media with a friend, neighbour etc. of a different colour with the hashtag #colourdoesn'tmatter. Show that people of different races CAN get allong, cause they do. Only the rotten apples get the attention.. sick of that.
Color does matter, it matters a lot. Does your gender matter to you as a part of your personal identity? Would you be okay with someone refusing to acknowledge your gender identity? Ignoring race is ignoring a huge part of their background and experiences. Slavery ended 155 years ago, people shouldn't just sit silently back and pretend that race isn't important when black people are being murdered in the streets and in their own homes. To say color doesn't matter is to state that difference is a negative. Instead of ignoring race we should acknowledge it and accept people who do not look like us and accept their differences as a contribution to society rather than a failure. My race means a lot to me, my gender means a lot to me. Don't deny peoples identity, it matters.
Load More Replies... Yes, that is the solution, destroying historical statues. And people wonder why there is discrimination.
'Taken down' Are you kidding me? Try vandalized and destroyed. Illegally. You want a statue 'taken down', you go through the local government's legal process, with public votes and input.
They did. Many were ignored. In one case, they were about to remove a statue and 2 local businesses interjected and stopped the will of the local citizens. What do you want people to do when their government isn't listening to them? Sit back and shrug. America would still be apart of England then! OTOH, The UK does have universal health care so...
Load More Replies... You haven't thought this through Nunya...your solution of 'replace' would first require 'tearing down' ....have another go x
Load More Replies... Couldn't disagree with you more...can you imagine,for a moment,being a black student at a school named after a man who made his fortune through slavery? Having to walk past his statue every day? I can't imagine what it is like...that's why I am prepared to be told what it is like by those who know.
Load More Replies... The Nazis burned books that promoted equality, tolerance, or anything outside the very selective sphere of what version of history they wanted to promote (aka, the 'glorious aryan history'. Which wasn't even true.) These people are tearing down statues glorifying oppressors and abusers, not trying to erase history. Completely different.
Load More Replies... Maybe you should vote for people who want to increase funding for education. It would be more effective and a longer term solution.
Load More Replies... They're not necessarily all stupid. But they sure do pick the worst martyrs for their cause......usually career violent criminals.
Load More Replies...