Leicester Mayor promises to protect city's Gandhi statue
Gandhi statue in Leicester
The Mayor of the city of Leicester has committed to protecting the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the heart of the central England city. This comes in the aftermath of an online petition created to save the under-threat monument. It attracted over 6,000 signatures.
Mayor Peter Soulsby confirmed his support for the monument in his response to a letter from former Indian-origin Leicester East MP Keith Vaz, who has been leading a campaign ever since an online petition called for the statue's removal last week.
Similar initiatives are being undertaken by local authorities around the UK in the wake of anti-racism Black Lives Matter protests targeting statues with a dubious slave trade history.
The bronze statue, which captures the leader of the Indian freedom struggle in his characteristic walking stride in the city's famous Belgrave Road Golden Mile, came into focus with a "Remove the Gandhi Statue in Leicester" online petition last week alleging that Gandhi was a 'facist, racist and sexual predator'.
A counter petition launched on Change.Org this week, "Save the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Leicester", has since attracted thousands of signatures in support within days.
The sculpture by Kolkata artist Gautam Pal was unveiled in 2006 following a fundraising drive by Indian charity Samanwaya Pariwar.
Statues up and down the UK have become a focal point of protests in recent days, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan ordering covers for sculptures at Parliament Square in the UK capital following graffiti attacks directed at some of the monuments.
The Mayor of London's office confirmed that following discussions with the Metropolitan Police, the Gandhi and South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's statues at the square are to be uncovered.
The statue of former UK PM Winston Churchill in the same square had already been uncovered on Thursday in time for French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to London.