ARTICLE · 02 SEPTEMBER 2022

Statues: Should They Stay Or Should They Go?

Maurice Turnor Gardner

Explore more from Maurice Turnor Gardner

Statues: a distortion of history and symbol of a human weakness to revere or, when put in context, an important part of our history – should they stay or should they go?

United KingdomGovernment, Public Sector

Rupert Ticehurst

Statues: a distortion of history and symbol of a human weakness to revere or, when put in context, an important part of our history - should they stay or should they go?

Statues are erected to commemorate individuals or events, from individuals who served in public office to those who took part in historic moments. In the former category falls the statue of Margaret Thatcher, which, having already been rejected from Parliament Square by Westminster Council, was vandalised before it was unveiled in May in her hometown of Grantham. In the latter category falls the statue depicting Zinedine Zidane's infamous head butt during the 2006 World Cup. This statue, originally erected in Doha in 2013, was taken down after it was criticised for idolatry and glorifying violence but is to re-erected later this year ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. These examples show us that, no matter how significant or insignificant the person or moment might be, statues remain a source of

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