Bronze statue drew opposition even when unveiled in 2006
London:
A former Indian MP from India launched a passionate campaign on Thursday to defend a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the British city of Leicester after an online petition demanding his removal drew over 4,000 signatures.
Keith Vaz, who was the longest serving MP for Leicester until last year, asked that the petition be withdrawn or that its organizers face a police investigation for incitement to racial hatred as he stated that he would personally defend the sculpture if someone tried to remove it.
“Gandhi’s statues in Leicester and London are a source of inspiration for peace, harmony and non-violence. He was one of the greatest peacemakers in history,” said Vaz, who was present when the statue was unveiled in Leicester 11 years ago by the then Minister of the Interior. Alan Johnson.
“This is a formidable petition which seeks to divide the communities of Leicester and the country … If it is not withdrawn, I will certainly send it back to the police to determine if it incites racial hatred” , did he declare.
“We have come a long way in 33 years on racial equality, but it is clear that there is still a long way to go. If there is an attempt to remove it, I will be there to defend it personally, “added Vaz.
The petition titled “Remove the Gandhi statue from Leicester” alleges that Mahatma Gandhi was a “facist, racist and sexual predator” and that the sculpture should therefore be removed.
The bronze statue, which captured Gandhi in his stride by Kolkata artist Gautam Pal, had attracted some opposition even at the time of its unveiling in 2006 because many believed that Gandhi did not share strong ties with the city of L is from England with a large population of Indian expatriates.
However, Leicester City Council approved the request from the Indian charity Samanwaya Pariwar, which had raised funds for the memorial.
Leicester City Council said the petition would be considered as part of a wider review of the city’s statues, street names and buildings, which follows similar initiatives by local authorities in the UK as a result of anti-racism Black Lives Matter protests against statues with a questionable history of the slave trade.
“Although this petition has not yet been submitted to us, these representations will be considered as part of a larger conversation on the context, relevance and relevance of the street names, statues and monuments of the city”, said a spokesman for the city council.
“In a city as culturally diverse as Leicester, it is important to respect the history of all of our communities and to understand the context of the historical references that are part of our street landscape and our built environment,” said the spokesperson.
A similar petition against the unveiling of a Gandhi statue in the city of Manchester was also launched last year, claiming that the leader of the Indian independence movement had a “dubious racist” background.
The campaign was finally defeated as the Manchester statue became the latest addition to Gandhi’s many UK statues, including two sculptures in London ~ CHECK ~ in Tavistock Square and Parliament Square – as well as one in Leicester, Birmingham and Cardiff each.
The steps under the sculpture in Parliament Square were recently targeted by graffiti during anti-racism protests in London last week.
