It is a statue that never ceases to be controversial. In the night from Saturday to Sunday, the base of the statue of General Faidherbe, located at Place Richebé in Lille, was tagged with the name of "Colon murderer" as reported by France Bleu Nord. A few hours earlier, a demonstration had taken place on Saturday afternoon to demand the removal of this monument considered as a symbol of colonialism.
Between 200 and 300 demonstrators gathered around the shouting statue of "Decolonize history and memory!" " In front of them, around fifteen identity activists, who came to provoke the demonstrators, sparked tensions without ending the demonstration.
"Colon murderer": the Faidherbe statue in Lille tagged during the nuithttps: //t.co/8rJj5aFXGz pic.twitter.com/JbezMTANPW
- France Bleu Nord (@fbleunord) June 21, 2020One of the main actors in the colonization of Senegal
Born in 1818 in Lille, Louis Faidherbe is a military figure who had preserved the region from the Prussian invasion in 1870. But he had also been one of the main actors in the colonization of Senegal where he had been governor. "He also colonized Senegal in extremely violent conditions, boasting of burning villages, and developed all kinds of racist theories," reacted Jean-François Rabot, member of the Survie association, on Saturday.
Lille
Racism: Demonstration for the withdrawal of the statue of Faidherbe "symbol of colonialism"
Lille
Lille: Should we change the name of rue Faidherbe?
- Senegal
- News
- Colonization
- Lille