15 great photos of creatively vandalized racist statues from around the world.
15 great photos of creatively vandalized racist statues from around the world
There's never been a worse time to be a statue of an old racist dude.
The global protests against systemic racism and police brutality, in solidarity with the U.S. Black Lives Matter movement as well as individual nations' own institutional issues, have been spreading and strengthening since the death of George Floyd, who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes on May 25. The protests have already had a tangible effect on policy decisions and public opinion, but one of the most visible achievements of the protests has been the toppling, defacing, and even removal by authorities, of racist monuments and statues.
From former Confederate president Jefferson Davis to Christopher Columbus and Winston Churchill, statues of historical figures have been coming down or getting makeovers — primarily statues of European colonizers, slave traders or owners, and other Great Men whose racist opinions or policies have been airbrushed out of the version of history we learned in school. Some were removed by protesters, others by city authorities. Many others have been splashed with blood-red paint, creatively annotated, or decorated in other ways to indicate that enormous likenesses of known racists towering over people in public spaces are not seen as a neutral invitation to reflect quietly upon the nuances of a violent, racist history, but an institutional refusal to reckon with it.
The push to remove Confederate and other racist monuments from public spaces continues, with the potential for them to be rehoused in museums where they can be displayed alongside other historical artifacts in context. Meanwhile, a 55-year-old woman in Atlanta has been charged with a felony, namely interference with government property for writing "TEAR DOWN" on a Confederate statue plinth with chalk, and Australian authorities are making noise about "tougher anti-vandalism laws" after two statues of British colonizer Captain James Cook were spray-painted by activists.
If you're interested in the process of bringing down statues, here is a purely hypothetical guide to how it can be done safely. The safest way to get these pompous eyesores out of public spaces, though, is to pressure your local city council or mayor's office to remove them, and vote for representatives who have no interest in preserving public monuments to oppressors. As Taylor Swift said, villains don't deserve statues.
In the meantime, please enjoy these striking images of shrines to violence and genocide being treated with the respect they deserve.
Meh, as far as I’m concerned the Custer statue had to go, y’all believe we are so far removed from history that we don’t remember or have ancestors that are still linked to these atrocities. But we do and while it’s not taught to you we still keep it alive. If y’all want your history it better be correct history. Otherwise it isn’t history at all just another pack of lies.
ReplyDeletethere’s some saying about how History’s books were written from the winners point of view? You never really learn about both sides properly
DeleteI totally understand, but even though we are natives are we not part of the winners they said we were Americans but sometimes I wonder.
DeleteUnbelievable Mashable. It's okay to want the statues gone. But to say this "great" just shows how immature you are. Statues of racist or not. It's possible that some of these statues were priceless. What a y of this has to do with Mr. Floyd is beyond me. As there aren't a y signs of Chauvin's actions to be racially motivated.
ReplyDeleteHow to be a total c*nt and get away with it. (Endorsed by Mashable)
ReplyDeleteThey should erect a statue of people toppling over statues since that’s also a part of history now too.
DeleteI agree let's take out ALL symbols that remind us of racism and then we also NEVER speak about it ever again as then we will be the ones reminding each other of the past! No baby has ever been racist it is the parents that teaches him that and politicians that really really need this to stay alive to score votes. We will never get over racism ever because humans are keeping it alive 😡
ReplyDeleteJust add a plaque telling the full history, that would be much more useful...
ReplyDeleteMost people don't read plaques.
DeleteWe need to add to each one a big white flag with the word LOSER written in big letters on it.
Statues aren't racist. People may be racists but statues don't have emotions!
ReplyDeleteIt would help if somebody would read some history books before deciding on what statues to vandalise. That'll save a lot of work vandalising the ones of figures that weren't involved in slavery.
ReplyDeleteshare an example
Deleteoki read it. The whole thing including his work for the East India Co.
Deletefrom your site: There is an ongoing debate on the meaning of slavery within Dutch history, in which Piet Hein is an anachronistic figure head. On the one hand, some modern critiques attribute the evils of the Dutch Atlantic slave trade to him.
DeleteIt's easy to judge people from another age with the knowledge of today. Then you must basically remove all statues, because almost all statues are dedicated to people who lived in a time where we're destroying the planet and exploiting animals and they were not yet vegan. If you isolate every person completely from their historical context, every person is going to be pretty much evil.
DeleteIf Piet Hein had lived today, he would likely have been someone who helps emancipation rather than oppose it.
let’s focus on removing statues that cause pain for others. For instance monuments to the Confederacy. Just because we can’t always get it 100% right does not mean we throw up our hands or do not try. Effort must be made.
DeleteIMO it takes a little bit of both. It's a choice whether to be offended by every single historic reference, or to put it in perspective. But redesigning public space removing some statues that clearly stand for outdated ideas, sure, that's probably a good thing.
DeleteIt's not a good time to be a patriot either!!! The media are all traitors!!
ReplyDelete"The Republic will not wipe away any trace or any name from its history. It will not forget any of its works. It will not take down any of its statues but lucidly look at our history and our memory together." Macron
ReplyDeleteCuster's heroic were very sensationalized by his wife.
ReplyDeleteThe full history is that these people bringing slaves to people they want slaves. Do not forget the Instigates. These are the actual racists. If you search them among us you will find them hiding behind the scene.
ReplyDeleteYay! Good riddance!
ReplyDeleteIF you look at the statistics on all the complaints on Racism put out by BLM and other news media. The information presented does not match the facts. What you have is a message sent out by adolp hitler and the nazi to their troops. IF you take a LIE and no matter how big it is and repeat it often enough it’s the SAME as the truth. For instance : hands up don’t shoot – never happened in the mike brown case which was investigated by eric holder and the Obama whitehouse. He was shot at close range with his fingerprints all over the officers gun
ReplyDeletethat's a bingo
Deleteand you NL know that how?
ReplyDeleteyou’ve been interviewing them from Spain?
ReplyDeleteDumb*sses statues are not racist y'all need to learn the history so we don't repeat the history
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi3p7KItITqAhXNSzABHcJUDhQQtwIwCnoECAUQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5853499%2Femmanuel-macron-racism-colonial-statues%2F&usg=AOvVaw0TEmIivcfrP0w6NBy0eLRw
ReplyDeleteThis news portal is now loosing any needed distance. It pushes violence and reverse racism. This is pure aggressive agitation., nothing to do with news or comment.
ReplyDeletereverse racism? ◔_◔
DeleteEquality for all, regardless of skin colour, is not reverse racism.
Deletewhat would you say if I hold a banner "white life matters"?
DeleteIt's funny bcuz yall think by removing statues, history will be erased.
ReplyDeleteYA there's these things called books and the internet. History still lives on in those books and still tells the story of slavery and racism.
What yall gonna burn down librarys next and storm the internet ;-D
glorying history versus remember history are two different things you walnut
DeleteCompletely over your head
Deleteguess it's not about erasing history, it's about being forced to see it every day! America is build on violence and genocide, history tells, and some stupids call it the greatest country, just laughable and rediculess!
Delete*because
Deleteplease remember that it was the Jewish people who wanted Auschwitz to remain as a reminder to the world to never repeat such atrocities again.
DeleteIf it was demolished it would not of had the profound affect it has had.
Statues are not alive, it is impossible that they are racist.
ReplyDeleteBesides, your friends also destroyed statues of others that weren't Confederates.
Ummmm are you drinking in the mornings again?
DeleteA clump of metal can’t be racist.
But the person it is honouring was.
Exactly! Also setting stores on fire, lootering and so on!
DeleteIt's a disgrace when we have to cover our history for BLM I am not racist at all ALM but leave the British history alone. Do not like it go
ReplyDeletelet's play a thought experiment. Your grandmother's tell stories of your families past. The good the bad and the very ugly. You learn the truth you're family comes from slaves. You hear of the torture, exploitation, violence and grief. One natural question would be who did this to us? Your grandmother then tells you all those monuments set up to celebrate the past are celebrating the same men who enslaved your people. So everyday you walk by and are reminded of the atrocities of those men and that time. Not to mention most play huge staring roles in our history books also. Just another reminder in a world full of messages and monuments that are telling you, you are less than. We can learn about our history sure but we can also be compassionate enough to realize it's not something we should be proud of.
DeleteIt our history too. So put it in a mhseuk not shadowing over people all day.
DeleteYou don't have any more claik to America than me and I say it goes.
Deleteplease remember that most slaves came from the west coast of Africa. Most slaves were sold to the ships captains by their own people, their African princes and kings who sold them for money and guns and whatever else the ships brought. The locals were selling their own people for a profit.
DeleteTeach the kids this as well.
ya, slavery all around is bad. Glad we agree. Happy Pride! ;)
DeleteSince right wing people are so cheap then people should just tear off the heads and replace the head only. Bodies are still pretty much the same.
ReplyDeletethat makes no sense, shouldn't you be at a rally or something?
DeleteOof was that your attempt at trash talk? I half expected you to be a clown but I did not expect that you’d be the entire circus.
Deletepointing out the obvious snowflake but apparently that was lost on you
Delete