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How do we think about taking down controversial statues in the UK? How do we think about taking down controversial statues in the UK?
We have every right to take the statues down We have every right to take the statues down
How dare they tear down our statues How dare they tear down our statues
We should approach the statues issue with caution We should approach the statues issue with caution
The statues sustain structural oppression The statues sustain structural oppression
The controversial statues celebrate evil acts The controversial statues celebrate evil acts
The controversial statues venerate evil people The controversial statues venerate evil people
The controversial statues oppress UK ethnic minorities The controversial statues oppress UK ethnic minorities
The controversial statues represent UK history inaccurately The controversial statues represent UK history inaccurately
Having controversial statues in a museum sanctifies evil Having controversial statues in a museum sanctifies evil
The controversial statues legitimise racism The controversial statues legitimise racism
The controversial UK statues destroy the intellectual health of the public The controversial UK statues destroy the intellectual health of the public
Controversial statues hide deep injustice Controversial statues hide deep injustice
The controversial statues debate shows how Britain's democratic channels have failed us The controversial statues debate shows how Britain's democratic channels have failed us
This is the revolutionary resistance we have been waiting for This is the revolutionary resistance we have been waiting for
The people tearing down controversial statues are erasing British history The people tearing down controversial statues are erasing British history
We must defend British culture against those who tear down controversial statues in the UK We must defend British culture against those who tear down controversial statues in the UK
The violent mob are race traitors The violent mob are race traitors
We have been forced to accept multiculturalism against our will We have been forced to accept multiculturalism against our will
All lives matter, so tearing down controversial statues in the UK is wrong All lives matter, so tearing down controversial statues in the UK is wrong
The police are working in the interests of the enemy when they support those who tear down controversial statues The police are working in the interests of the enemy when they support those who tear down controversial statues
Non-whites should go back to where they came from rather than tearing down controversial statues Non-whites should go back to where they came from rather than tearing down controversial statues
This is an attack on the white working class This is an attack on the white working class
The controversial statues are an attack on the UK's white majority The controversial statues are an attack on the UK's white majority
We should find ways to give more context to these controversial statues in the UK We should find ways to give more context to these controversial statues in the UK
Controversial statues have an educational purpose in the UK Controversial statues have an educational purpose in the UK
Our approach to storytelling UK statues is flawed Our approach to storytelling UK statues is flawed
The UK controversial statues debate is about the decline of the West The UK controversial statues debate is about the decline of the West
The UK controversial statues debate is an opportunity to think about how we look at history The UK controversial statues debate is an opportunity to think about how we look at history
The controversial statues are a distraction from the real issue at hand in the UK The controversial statues are a distraction from the real issue at hand in the UK
We should focus on the UK's present, not its past We should focus on the UK's present, not its past
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How do we think about taking down controversial statues in the UK?
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We have every right to take the statues down

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The controversial statues debate shows how Britain's democratic channels have failed us

Formal channels of protest have failed. Tearing down statues is forcing those in power to listen to the needs of those at the bottom.
Chloe Chaplain
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The Argument

During the Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020, the statue of Edward Colston had been toppled and thrown into the Bristol Harbour. Ministers quickly responded by condemning the behaviour as criminal, suggesting that more appropriate legal mechanisms may have been employed. Since the 1990s awareness about Edward Colston’s past of making his fortune through slave trading has caused significant controversy. There have been numerous petitions with many signatories and campaigns seeking to remove the statue in Bristol for twenty years, as well as to have other statues such as those of Robert Milligan in East London, and Cecil Rhodes in Oxford removed. Legitimate mechanisms have been adopted, exhausted and have failed. The failings in these democratic processes have caused people to become frustrated at the lack of agreement, progress, and engagement, leading to people taking the opportunity at hand to achieve what they had been petitioning for throughout an exceedingly long time. It was not until after Edward Colston's statue was toppled, that swift reviews took place, leading to the removal of Robert Milligan’s statue in Tower Hamlets. This was unlikely to have been attained without the public having taken matters into their own hands. [1]

Counter arguments

There are more than 800 public statues around the UK which mark moments of history and convey the values that society held at the time that these were built. Although one segment of the populate seek removal of these on the basis that these statues promote racist, sexist, homophobic values, another part of the population considers these statues to be valued artefacts which we can learn from. Democratic channels achieve a balance between these views. In Poole, there is a statue of Lord Robert Baden-Powell who is associated with racism, supporting Hitler, and holding homophobic views. The statue, under police advice was to be removed for its protection following the toppling of the Edward Colston statue.[2] A petition against its permanent removal gained traction with over 10,000 signatories. Local councils therefore must engage with the populate's multiple conflicting views to consider what actions to take with monuments that some see as problematic, and others see as a valuable historic monument, or even a learning point from history. [3]Democratic channels have not failed as they aim to build consensus amongst conflicting perspectives. [4]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://inews.co.uk/opinion/comment/why-democratic-approaches-to-removing-problematic-statues-often-fail-444839
  2. https://www.libdemvoice.org/if-tearing-down-the-colston-statue-is-ok-then-anything-is-ok-as-long-as-you-can-justify-it-to-yourself-64896.html
  3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52965665
  4. https://thecritic.co.uk/an-undemocratic-elite-is-waging-war-on-britains-past/
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020 at 09:18 UTC

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