Statues of British military heroes could be removed from a square in Glasgow following an anti-slavery, anti-colonial backlash from SNP council bigwigs.
As part of an overhaul of George Square in Scotland’s second city, no fewer than 11 statues are set to be removed – and while the council has insisted they’ll be back in 2027, their reinstitution could be at the behest of an “antislavery working group”.
Glasgow’s SNP-led local authority had commissioned a review into public artwork following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, which included the drawing-up of a list of ‘cancellable’ figures depicted in statue form.
One figure from Glasgow City Council, SNP councillor Graham Campbell, had said bronzes of Sir John Moore and Field Marshal Colin Campbell were especially problematic.
Speaking about the figures, Campbell said: “One played a leading role in killing Indians resisting British colonialism; the other spent a lot of time killing a lot of enslaved Africans resisting slavery in the Caribbean.
“No doubt today we would not put up statues to such people.”
His comments echoed the sentiments raised in the council report, which said: “John Moore and Colin Campbell were in the British Army, with identifiable roles in upholding the system of chattel slavery in colonies of the British West Indies.”
And just this week, one council official told a meeting: “We are flexible and agile, and awaiting any instruction from the antislavery working group.
“If a decision was taken that one or more statues should not be brought back into the square, then the design would adapt accordingly.”
Both Sir John Moore and Field Marshal Campbell were key Glasgow-born British Army players.
The former had fought in the American War of Independence and had battled adversaries like France under Napoleon – who had credited him with saving Britain’s forces from destruction.
While the latter was a hero of the Crimean War, and had led campaigns against China, Russia and India throughout the 19th Century.
One suggestion for a replacement in George Square has been the erection of a bronze of abolitionist pioneer William Wilberforce – which could see installation on a new 12th plinth in the public space.
A council spokesman has remained coy on the matter, saying: “The working assumption is that all of the 11 statues in George Square will be returned to the Square in 2027 after their removal – early in 2025 – for conservation and restoration.
“We will soon be preparing tender documents for the contracts needed to deliver this work.”
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