Belgium Removes Burnt-Out Statue Of Colonial King Leopold II, As Statue Takedown Goes Global

TOPLINE

 A statue of Belgium’s King Leopold II, who became ultra wealthy from the enslavement of Congolese people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was removed by the city of Antwerp in Belgium as the movement to remove monuments of racist figures gains momentum around the globe.

KEY FACTS

Tangent

Now the Colston School and music venue Colston Hall, both named after Edward Colston, a member of the Royal African Company, which transported about 80,000 Africans and sold them into slavery in the Americas, will be renamed, according to the BBC. 

Key Background

These statues of white male figures who played key roles in the legacy of  racism have been quite controversial around the world for years. “In the space of 23 years this man killed more than 10 million Congolese without ever having set foot in the Congo,” read an online petition to remove every Leopold II statue in Belgium, according to Al Jazeera. 

Last week, a confederate soldier was removed in Alexandria, Virginia, by its owner the United Daughters of the Confederacy after it was graffitied by protesters. In Richmond, Virginia, statues of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Confederate General Robert E. Lee were also tagged by protesters with slogans like “blood on your hands” and “no more white supremacy.”. While a long-controversial statue of former Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mayor Frank Rizzo, known for his violent policing of gay and black people was removed by the city after it became a target of protesters. 

Further Reading

Philadelphia’s Frank Rizzo Statue Latest In String Of Monuments Removed In Wake Of Floyd Death (Forbes)

Confederate Monuments Come Down: Alexandria Statue Removed, As ‘Black Lives Matter’ Written On Others (Forbes)

Who was Leopold II, why did Belgium’s Antwerp remove his statue? (Al Jazeera)

A removed statue dredges up racism against blacks, Latinos in Texas Rangers’ history (NBC News)