All of Manchester’s statues to be reviewed by council in response to protests

Manchester Council has announced that it will be reviewing all of the city’s statues in response to the Black Lives Matter protests over the past few weeks.

Thousands of people protested in peaceful demonstrations in Manchester last weekend, and elsewhere many protested in cities like London, Edinburgh and Bristol. 

The protests began due to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd. 

As part of the protest in Bristol a statue of a slave trader, Edward Colston, was pulled down by protesters and thrown in the river.

The move has prompted a national debate and a sparked lot of controversy, with many cities asking why similar statues are still standing across the country in 2020, celebrating the men involved with the slave trade which has contributed to the systemic racism we still see today. 

Manchester Council has announced that it will be reviewing all of the statues in the city, to understand the importance of the ‘history’ and ‘context’ behind each one. 

The council leaders have also called to the public to ask them who should be celebrated in statue form in the city and who they think is missing.

The council has said they are particularly interested in representing the BAME history of the city. 

This comes after almost 1,500 people have signed a petition to remove the statue of former Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel that currently stands in Piccadilly Gardens.

The petition asks people to #RepealPeel in order to ‘highlight the endemic racism that continues to plague Manchester and the fact that this city was built on slavery.’

The petition goes on to state: “We are trying to draw attention to the fact that black people are more likely to be arrested, subjected to use of force – and that black people in greater Manchester are ten times more likely to be tasered. Black Lives Matter.”

The former Primer Minister’s father, also called Robert Peel and also an MP, was actively pro-slavery and circulated a pro-slavery petition in 1806.

A counter-petition to keep the statue has received over 4,000 signatures.

Councillor Luthfur Rahman said: “The weight of emotion around the symbolism attached to public statues has been palpable this week – and not without good reason.

“However, it is also true to say that most of us do not know the people represented in the city’s statues, nor the history as to why they were chosen.

“We think it’s important therefore to undertake a city-wide review of all the statues in Manchester and work with our cultural institutions to understand their history and context.”