"Taking the statues down is an 'iconoclasm of the Woke!'"

Taking down statues is a violent attack on Western history and culture. This a dangerous assault on Western civilisation. It is a furious rampage that threatens the very fabric of our societies, borne out of the same violent madness characteristic of the Khmer Rouge. This type of behaviour has existed for millennia, and led to the devastation of countless civilisations and their histories. These endings are rarely happy. And have historically been symptomatic of growing social unrest and a climate of uncertainty. Yet, iconoclasm is not the answer. We should take our attention away from these statues. This is misplaced anger, which we would do better to examine. It is as journalist Sean Thomas writes, "Where will this bizarre fury end, and how might it change us: as nations, cultures, peoples? "

The West has been in decline for over a century. The Empire where once the sun never set, is now a tiny island nation frequently in thrall to those it ruled over. This has been a long time coming. We are now in the midst of a culture war between those who still hold an imperialist vision of Britain, and those who see it for what is now is. We are now at the climax of this battle. Removing these statues forces us all to acknowledge our struggle for Western moral and cultural authority. Hopefully, it will be the wake up call we need to adapt our current positions, and claw back what we are fast losing. Proponents include author Frank Furedi.

Many argue the statues debate is not really about statues. And they are correct. Talk of monuments obscures the obvious racial undertones of this attack against its white majority. What is truly alarming is just how acceptable this campaign of racial hatred has become. Protesters use the language of social justice to haul monuments of our ancestors into rivers. And to organise themselves into vigilante mobs set on removing every trace of Great British history from our streets. We have become powerless to defend them. It is as author Alexander Adams writes, "The current accusation is that white people are culpable for past slavery and live off the inherited spoils of imperialism. So, all white British people are guilty. Yet how can one demonise a group that comprises over 80 per cent of the entire population?" All lives matter, not just black lives, and using the language of race makes clear white lives are not as important as others. Proponents include the EDL and UK hard right nationalist groups.

Focusing on redressing these past issues is ineffective. The danger posed by this current movement is in its short-sightedness. People should focus on the grave social injustices that exist today.

The statue removal movement is the latest attack from cancel culture activists. The statues are simply the latest victim to be deemed offensive since they do not conform to the exaggeratedly "woke" ideals of a violent minority that is desperate to shut down free speech.

Of course, our interpretation of events and individuals change over time, but maintaining our monuments sustains the conversation between past and present. We don't need to topple statues. We need a greater understanding of how view our past and how that will inform our future.