List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests explained

During the civil unrest[1] that followed the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, a number of monuments and memorials associated with racial injustice were vandalized, destroyed or removed, or commitments to remove them were announced. This occurred mainly in the United States, but also in several other countries. Some of the monuments in question had been the subject of lengthy, years-long efforts to remove them, sometimes involving legislation and/or court proceedings. In some cases the removal was legal and official; in others, most notably in Alabama and North Carolina,[2] laws prohibiting the removal of monuments were deliberately broken.

Initially, protesters targeted monuments related to the Confederate States of America. As the scope of the protests broadened to include other forms of systemic racism, many statues of other controversial figures such as Christopher Columbus,[3] [4] Junípero Serra, Juan de Oñate and Kit Carson were torn down or removed. Monuments to many other local figures connected with racism were also targeted by protestors.. Statues of American slave owners such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and Francis Scott Key were also vandalised or removed.[5] [6] [7] According to the Huffington Post, by October 2020 over a hundred Confederate symbols had been "removed, relocated or renamed", based on data from the Southern Poverty Law Center.[8]

Some monuments that were not associated with the Confederacy, slavery, or racism were also targeted. In Madison, Wisconsin, the statue of abolitionist Hans Christian Heg, was torn down and thrown into a lake.[9] [10] [11] Protestors also tore down a statue titled Forward, by sculptor Jean Pond Miner, which depicts the embodiment of the Wisconsin state motto.[12] In Portland, a statue of an elk was removed after several bonfires lit beneath the statue caused structural damage to the statue's base.[13] A statue of York, a Black slave with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was removed by the University of Portland after it was vandalised.[14]

In the United Kingdom, removal efforts and vandalism focused on memorials to figures involved in the transatlantic slave trade, British colonialism, and eugenics.[15] [16] In Belgium, sculptures of King Leopold II were targeted due to his rule during the atrocities in the Congo Free State. In New Zealand, a statue of a British military officer John Hamilton was removed, and in India another colonial-era statue was relocated. In South Africa, a bust of Cecil Rhodes was decapitated, and a statue of the last president of the Orange Free State was taken down.

This list is limited to successful removals, and instances in which a person or body with authority has committed itself to removal. It does not include the many works that have been the subject of petitions, protests, defacement, or attempted removals, such as the Emancipation Memorial in Washington, D.C.,[17] and many statues of Leopold II in Belgium. It also does not include statues that fell or subject to attempted removals as a result of the Rhodes Must Fall movement that predates Floyd's murder by five years[18] [19] such as the statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College, Oxford, England.[20]

Sculptures and other monuments

The following monuments and memorials were removed during the George Floyd protests, mainly due to their connections to racism. The majority are in the United States and mostly commemorate the Confederate States of America (CSA), but some monuments were also removed in other countries, for example the statues of slave traders in the United Kingdom.

Notes:

United States

The following monuments and memorials were removed during the George Floyd protests due to their association with racism in the United States. Most commemorated people involved in the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, with others linked to the genocide of Indigenous people, Racial segregation in the United States and also other related issues. In a few instances, like the Montgomery County Confederate Soldiers Monument and the statue of John Mason, the monuments had already been moved from their original location, sometimes more than once, as different venues objected.

Confederate monuments

The Confederate States of America fought a four-year war (the American Civil War) to preserve the institution of slavery. After its defeat, all enslaved African Americans were freed and became citizens with the same rights as whites. Confederate monuments commemorate politicians, Army officers, and soldiers of the Confederacy. Most are in the former CSA states.

This table does not include Virginia, which is in a second table that follows.

Monument/memorialCityState, etc.Removal announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes
Virginia

See also: List of Confederate monuments and memorials in Virginia, Monument Avenue and Charlottesville historic monument controversy. Virginia, where the CSA had its capital in Richmond, has the most Confederate monuments of any U.S. state. A March 2020 change in the law of Virginia had already essentially repealed the statute preventing removal of historical monuments, effective from July 1, 2020. This change became possible when voters, after electing the Democrat Ralph Northam as Governor in 2017, gave the Democrats control of both houses of the Virginia General Assembly from January 2020, for the first time in a generation.[21]

<

--SORT ORDER: Roughly, first date column, second date column, then by state, then city. Mostly just put the entries in the order of the dates. PUT THE MOST RECENT ONES AT THE BOTTOM.-->p=y to indicate pending status-->
Monument/memorialCityStateRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

Genocide of indigenous peoples

Monuments dedicated to individuals accused of involvement in the genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas have been removed.[22] [23]

Juan de Oñate, when governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, was responsible for the 1599 Acoma Massacre. Junípero Serra, a Franciscan friar, was involved in enslaving Chumash people in the 18th century for the building and supplying of the Spanish missions in California.[24] [25] [26] Diego de Vargas, also governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, led the reconquest of the territory in 1692, after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.

A handful of towns in Spain have offered to receive statues of Spaniards unwanted in the U.S.[27]

Monument/memorialCityStateRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes
Christopher Columbus

See also: List of monuments and memorials to Christopher Columbus. Several statues of Christopher Columbus, the initiator of the European colonization of the Americas, have been removed because of his alleged enslavement of and systemic violence against the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, including the genocide of the Taíno people.

<

--SORT ORDER: Roughly, first date column, second date column, then by state, then city. Mostly just put the entries in the order of the dates.-->
Monument/memorialCityStateRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

Others

Monument/memorialCityStateRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

United Kingdom

See main article: Actions against memorials in Great Britain during the George Floyd protests.

Atlantic slave trade

See also: List of public statues of individuals linked to the Atlantic slave trade.

The Royal African Company, which engaged in African slave trading between 1662 and 1731,[29] enslaved and shipped more Africans to the Americas than any other institution in the history of the Atlantic slave trade.[30]

Monument/memorialLocationRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

Others

Monument/memorialLocationRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

Belgium

See also: George Floyd protests in Belgium and List of statues of Leopold II of Belgium. King Leopold II of Belgium personally ruled the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908, treating it as his personal property. During this period, many well-documented atrocities were perpetrated against the population, including the severing of hands of workers unable to meet a production quota for rubber, and the destruction of entire villages that were unwilling to participate in the forced labour regime. These acts contributed to a genocide during this period, often estimated at between five million and ten million.

Monument/memorialLocationRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

New Zealand

See also: George Floyd protests in New Zealand. Royal Navy officer John Fane Charles Hamilton, after whom the city of Hamilton is named, played a prominent part in the Tauranga campaign of the New Zealand Wars.

Monument/memorialLocationRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

South Africa

Statues that come down in South Africa were preceded by and done in the context of the Rhodes Must Fall movement that resulted in the removal of a statue of Cecil Rhodes at the University of Cape Town.

Monument/memorialLocationRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

India

Monument/memorialLocationRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

France

On May 22, 2020, before the murder of George Floyd, two statues of Victor Schœlcher were torn down in Martinique, an overseas department of France.[31] Further colonial monuments in the overseas departments were targeted later in the year and in 2021; those which were mutilated in the period after May 25, 2020, are listed here.

The French president Emmanuel Macron declared his opposition to removing statues relating to France's colonial history on June 14, 2020.[32]

Monument/memorialLocationRegionRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotes

Barbados

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Segers . Grace . Trump Signs Executive Order to Protect Monuments . CBS News . June 27, 2020 . June 27, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200627174032/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-executive-order-protect-monuments/ . June 27, 2020 . live .
  2. Web site: § 100-2.1. Protection of monuments, memorials, and works of art . North Carolina General Assembly.
  3. News: Brockell. Gillian. October 14, 2019. Here are the indigenous people Christopher Columbus and his men could not annihilate. The Washington Post. July 3, 2021.
  4. News: 'American Taliban.' Ted Cruz sounds off after protesters topple Columbus statues . . June 11, 2020.
  5. Web site: San Francisco protesters topple statues of Ulysses Grant and other slave owners. June 20, 2020. The Guardian. en-US. September 10, 2020.
  6. Web site: Portland Man Describes Tearing Down Thomas Jefferson Statue: "It's Not Vandalism". June 20, 2020. Willamette Week. en-US. September 10, 2020.
  7. News: George Washington statue toppled, American flag burned by Portland protesters . The Hill . June 19, 2020.
  8. Web site: Mathias. Christopher. October 14, 2020. Exclusive: Over 100 Confederate Symbols Have Been Removed Or Renamed Since Cops Killed George Floyd. October 14, 2020. HuffPost. en.
  9. Web site: Who was Hans Heg, whose statue was torn down in Madison? Here's why the Civil War hero was memorialized. Teryl Franklin | Wisconsin State. Journal. madison.com. September 27, 2020 .
  10. Web site: Madison protesters tear down Capitol statues, attack state senator from Milwaukee as fury erupts again. Molly Beck and Lawrence. Andrea. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  11. Web site: Hans Christian Heg was an abolitionist who died trying to end slavery. What to know about the man whose statue was toppled in Madison.. Lawrence. Andrea. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  12. Web site: What to know about the Forward statue that was toppled during Madison protests. Mary. Spicuzza. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  13. Web site: Iconic Portland elk statue removed from downtown after fire set during protest. Lizzy Acker | The. Oregonian/OregonLive. July 2, 2020. oregonlive.
  14. Web site: University of Portland takes down statue of Lewis & Clark slave York. K. Rambo | The. Oregonian/OregonLive. June 18, 2020. oregonlive.
  15. News: Statue Of Winston Churchill Is Covered Up In London . NPR . June 12, 2020.
  16. News: Statue of Queen Victoria defaced in Hyde Park, Leeds . BBC News . June 9, 2020.
  17. News: Hannah . Natanson . Joe . Heim . Michael E. . Miller . Peter . Jamison. Protesters denounce Abraham Lincoln statue in D.C., urge removal of Emancipation Memorial . . June 30, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200630050130/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/protesters-denounce-abraham-lincoln-statue-in-dc-urge-removal-of-emancipation-memorial/2020/06/25/02646910-b704-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html . June 30, 2020 . live .
  18. News: Hall. Martin. The symbolic statue dividing a South African university. BBC News. April 4, 2015.
  19. Web site: March 21, 2021. Why Rhodes Must Fall. January 19, 2022. Harvard Political Review. en-US.
  20. News: May 20, 2021. Cecil Rhodes statue will not be removed by Oxford college. BBC News. BBC. May 20, 2021.
  21. News: Lawmakers pass bill allowing Confederate monument removals. Sarah. Rankin. March 8, 2020. ABC News. June 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200530133633/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawmakers-pass-bill-allowing-confederate-monument-removals-69469373. May 30, 2020. live.
  22. Web site: 'Destroy all monuments of genocide': Christopher Columbus statue in San Francisco vandalized. October 14, 2019. San Francisco Chronicle. June 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200521050224/https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Christopher-Columbus-statue-vandalized-red-paint-14520046.php. May 21, 2020. live.
  23. Web site: Christopher Columbus statues toppled in Virginia and beheaded in Boston. Oliver. Milman. Associated. Press. June 11, 2020. The Guardian. June 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200617154029/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/10/christopher-columbus-statue-toppled-virginia. June 17, 2020. live.
  24. Web site: Pope declares Junípero Serra, who enslaved Indians, a saint. September 24, 2015. digitaljournal.com. June 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200620163620/http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/religion/pope-declares-jun-pero-serra-who-enslaved-indians-a-saint/article/444697. June 20, 2020. live.
  25. Web site: The disturbing pasts of Columbus, Friar Serra, others commemorated in SF. Mike. Moffitt. June 13, 2020. San Francisco Chronicle. June 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200616152338/https://www.sfgate.com/sfhistory/slideshow/Statues-racism-exploitation-San-Francisco-Black-203718.php. June 16, 2020. live.
  26. Web site: Junípero Serra's brutal story in spotlight as pope prepares for canonisation. September 23, 2015. The Guardian. June 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200505020551/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/23/pope-francis-junipero-serra-sainthood-washington-california. May 5, 2020. live.
  27. News: Spanish towns offer new home for statues targeted by protests in US. Ashifa. Kassam. July 1, 2020. The Guardian. July 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200702094403/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/01/spanish-towns-offer-new-home-for-statues-targeted-by-protests-in-us. July 2, 2020. live.
  28. Web site: December 23, 2020. Headstones bearing Nazi swastikas were removed Wednesday from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. December 27, 2020. ExpressNews.com. en-US.
  29. Web site: Voyages Database. slavevoyages.org. en. June 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190205030903/http://slavevoyages.org/voyage/. February 5, 2019. dead.
  30. Jesus College Legacy of Slavery Working Party Interim Report (July–October 2019). 9–10. Jesus College Cambridge Legacy of Slavery Working Party. November 25, 2019. June 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200205151828/https://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/file/9193/download?token=9lanYVpy. February 5, 2020. live.
  31. News: Anti-racism protesters in Martinique tear down statue of Napoleon's wife. Radio France Internationale. July 27, 2020. May 9, 2021.
  32. News: Macron says France won't 'tear down statues' amid anti-racism protests. Rym. Momtaz. June 14, 2020. Politico. August 16, 2021.

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