City of London reflects on its slave heritage

A City employee crosses London Bridge.

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Statues, plaques, street names: the City of London, the financial heart of the British capital in particular, launched a vast consultation on Tuesday about the traces of its past in connection with slavery and racism in the urban environment.

For three months, the public is called upon to say which references to the "historical links to slavery and racism in all its forms" in the City of London are problematic in its eyes and what actions need to be taken to address it. reply.

This action comes in the wake of the worldwide movement “Black lives matter”, born after the death of George Floyd.

Several leading UK organizations such as the Bank of England or Lloyds, which insured slave ships, have apologized and major UK banks have pledged to do more to promote diversity.

"Like many places in the country, the City of London has a number of statues and other markers that show links to the slave trade and historical racism," Caroline Addy, co-director of the mission of fight against racism in the City.

A contested statue

“It is important that we recognize and treat this heritage with openness and honesty, and that we think carefully about what needs to be done,” she added.

The consultation, online or by paper mail, aims to collect the opinion of the public (inhabitants, workers, students, visitors), but also of businesses and cultural institutions, or political organizations of the capital and the country.

These contributions will be collected before the anti-racism mission makes recommendations before final decisions.

Among the signs of the colonial past in the City is the statue of William Beckford, 18th century MP and Mayor of London, who owned thousands of slaves exploited on his plantations in Jamaica.

A petition was launched in June on the Parliament site to demand the unbolting of the statue which is in the Guildhall, the seat of the City, but was rejected because the matter is up to the local administration and not the government or the Parliament .

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• Slavery