Death of George Floyd: the symbols of the slave trade denounced in the world

A statue of the former Belgian king Leopold II targeted in Brussels, Belgium, on June 7, 2020. A statue of the former Belgian king Léopold II targeted in Brussels, Belgium, June 7, 2020.

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The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis continues to create shock waves around the world. In recent days, there were still demonstrations in hundreds of American cities, but also in the United Kingdom, in France, in Belgium or in South Africa. Tens of thousands of people denounce police violence and racial discrimination. In turn, the symbols of slavery in public space are challenged.

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In the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, this Sunday, the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston was ripped from its pedestal by anti-racism protesters. On the images relayed on television and on social networks, we can see the crowd rushing to trample the statue, before pulling it to throw it into the river.

In France too, the CAAN, the Coordination of Black Autonomous Action, is attacking the symbols of slavery in public space. The organization calls, during the month of June to list all the streets, squares or buildings bearing the name of slavers. Starting with those in the name of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, minister in the 17th century and writer of the Black Code which governed the life of slaves on French territory.

In Belgium, it is the statues of the former King Leopold II that are controversial. For the past week, several of them have been covered in blood red paint in Brussels, evoking the millions of dead and maimed in the Congo during his reign. A petition has already collected more than 60,000 signatures to request the unbolting of all the statues of the former King of the Belgians. The Brussels municipal council must also study the question at a meeting on Monday.

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  • United States
  • Africa
  • Slavery

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