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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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How dare they tear down our statues

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The police are working in the interests of the enemy when they support those who tear down controversial statues

The role of the police is to protect British people and British interests. Their failure to protect our statues during this time suggests otherwise.
John Apter
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The Argument

During the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in June 2020, the statue of Edward Colston, who was known to build his fortune on slave trading, was toppled and thrown into the Bristol Harbour. The act was almost immediately decried by government ministers, such as Priti Patel, who described the removal as “utterly disgraceful”.[1] The Chairman of the Police Federation, John Apter, criticised the inaction of Avon and Somerset police suggesting that the lack of presence from the police displayed a negative message of policing. It is averred that although the local authorities should have considered taking down the statue before the events unfolded as they did, the removal of the statue with ropes, its rolling down the streets of Bristol, and into the Bristol Harbour were unlawful. That is not the way things should have been allowed to transpire. To not have a police presence during such a time is unheard of, and having police stepping back, rather than intervening, whilst such an incident took place, was wholly inappropriate. The police should have intervened as the removal of the statue was a criminal act. [2]

Counter arguments

Bristol’s chief of police defended his officers’ decision not to intervene on the day that the Edward Colston statue was toppled. It is argued that during such protests, intervention by the police had the potential to escalate the situation into a violent confrontation, where not only the police, and those suspected to be responsible for the removal of the statue were at risk of being hurt, but also other parties protesting and onlookers. Scenes of police fighting with protestors over the removal of a statue of a slave trader would cause harm to the level of trust in police in an already delicate situation.[3] The criminal act of toppling the statue has not been condoned. A police investigation into the criminal damage is taking place. The decision, however, not to act at the time that the statue was toppled was based on sound judgment, taken with a calm, common sense approach, and most significantly, took into consideration the safety of the public, protesting in the midst of heated emotions. As a result of the police’s decision to take no action, there were no injuries or arrests in a crowd of over 10,000 people. [4]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jun/08/keir-starmer-edward-colston-bristol-statue-wrong
  2. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/police-federation-condemn-bristol-police-4203336
  3. https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/06/08/police-chief-defends-protest-tactics-after-statue-torn-down/
  4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-52993995
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020 at 09:14 UTC

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