In the wake of "Black Lives Matter", the crash of the statues that we unbolt

Unbolted statues, repainted in red or on which the names of George Floyd and the "Black Lives Matter" movement are inscribed ... In recent days, anti-racism activists have multiplied, in several countries, symbolic actions against monuments recalling figures from the colonial past.

In the United Kingdom, the statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century British slave trader, was unbolted and thrown into the water during a demonstration against racism in Bristol on June 7. In Belgium, the statue of the former King of the Belgians, Leopold II, a figure from Belgium's colonial past, was removed from a square in Antwerp on June 9. In Scotland, it was the statue of the first viscount Melville, Henry Dundas - a politician who worked to delay the abolition of slavery - which was covered with graffiti following the demonstrations "Black Lives Matter" in Edinburgh, June 8.

bristol in three acts pic.twitter.com/DIYh5usmmB

These multiple actions "are related to the general indignation after the death of George Floyd in the United States", explains Fabrice Bensimon, professor of British history and civilization at the Paris-IV-Sorbonne University, contacted by France 24 "There is a movement which is expressed in the British youth, as in many countries, against the tributes which are paid to such historical figures".

"Do not commemorate people who have been slavers"

Confederate symbols in the United States are also in the sights of anti-racist activists. "There is a direct link between the condition of black Americans and the history of slavery," explains Fabrice Bensimon, "with first a massive deportation of populations from Africa to America, then a story of segregation with common lynchings. The story of George Floyd is a grim echo of that time of lynchings. "

The questioning of these symbols, at the crossroads of memory and politics, gives rise to debates as to their presence in public space. The authorities sometimes oppose this challenge to the colonial past, as in Oxford where a statue of the colonialist Cecil Rhodes has been the subject of controversy since 2016. Protesters are asking for his debriefing, as was the case again on June 9, so far in vain.

Other municipalities are showing another listening on this subject, like in London where the mayor Sadiq Khan declared wanting to "have a city which better reflects the city". And he added, "We should not commemorate or remember those who have been slavers." A statue of Robert Milligan, a slave planter from the 18th century, was also unbolted on June 9 by order of the municipal authorities.

But what about monuments whose presence is called into question in public space? "A frequent request from memory activists is that these statues be in museums as evidence of the past, or that they disappear, or that they be destroyed," explains historian Fabrice Bensimon. This is the choice made by the municipality of Antwerp, which transferred the statue of King Leopold II from the square in the Ekeren sector to the Middelheim museum in the city.

The statue, a political issue in public space

The symbolic actions of these last days against the statues of Edward Colston, Léopold II or Henry Dundas are part of a logic also going, ultimately, in the sense of history, as Fabrice Bensimon explains: "The questioning statues in public space is a very common process in history. In the former Eastern countries (in Europe), for example, thousands of statues have been debunked, stored… "

The historian also recalls the political nature of a statue in public space: "There is an important memory issue. Maintaining and preserving these monuments in public space means paying homage to Confederate leaders or to colonizers. Those who are honored by statues, by street names or by monuments are those whose heritage appears positive, or deserves to be praised. "

And in this perspective, France could, too, perhaps soon find itself concerned by the questioning of certain statues present on its territory. According to Fabrice Bensimon, "a certain number of monuments today in public space - the statue of General Gallieni on Place Vauban in Paris, the statue of Colbert at the entrance to the National Assembly - [represent] men politicians who played an important role in the colonial wars. "

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