Two of London's slave trade statues to be removed

Statues of William Beckford and John Cass, who accrued wealth through the slave trade, will be removed from the medieval Guildhall

The Guildhall in the City of London. Reuters

The local authority that runs London's financial district is to remove the statues of two British colonial-era politicians because of their links to the slave trade.
The move is part of a wider debate over how Britain remembers and represents its history and its widespread connections to slavery.
A Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 in Bristol led to the toppling of one of the southwest city's slave trader statues, and, in turn, prompted the City of London Corporation to set up a task force to look at its own statues.
The City of London Corporation voted on Thursday to remove the statues of William Beckford and John Cass from the medieval Guildhall because they had accrued wealth through the slave trade.

"The view of members was that removing and re-siting statues linked to slavery is an important milestone in our journey towards a more inclusive and diverse City," the City's political leader Catherine McGuinness said.

Beckford was a former London mayor who drew his wealth from plantations in Jamaica that used slave labour.
Cass was an MP and major figure in the Royal Africa Company that facilitated the transatlantic slave trade.
Both statues will be re-sited.

This week, legal protections came into force meaning statues will only be removed in "the most exceptional circumstances".
Under the legislation, if a local authority intends to remove a monument and the national heritage body Historic England objects, the final decision will rest with Communities Minister Robert Jenrick.

Mr Jenrick said Britain should not try revise its past.