The petition highlights the role of Robert Clive in the “looting” of Bengal in the early years of the British Empire.
London:
Hundreds of people signed an online petition Monday demanding the removal of a statue of Robert Clive, who played a key role in establishing British colonial rule over India, in Shrewsbury, west of England.
The Change.Org petition is addressed to the local Shropshire county council and arrived hours after dramatic scenes from the sculpture of a former slave trader Edward Colston were shot and dragged through a river in Bristol on Sunday during a weekend of “black lives” Matter “against racism.
“Robert Clive was one of the earliest figures of British imperial rule over India, Bengal and much of Southeast Asia,” reads the petition, which has already drawn more than 1,700 people. on his goal of 2,500 in a few hours.
“Clive as a symbol of British colonialism is very offensive to the descendants of India, Bengalis and Southeast Asia and trying to justify it as a celebration of British pride and nationalism is only justifiable if one is indulged in the persecution and murder of millions of innocent people, “reads.
Robert Clive was the first governor of the Bengal presidency under the East India Company in the 18th century, earning the title of “Clive of India”.
The petition highlights its role in the “looting” of Bengal in the early years of the British Empire, many riches of the region finding its way with him in Britain.
“To have a statue commemorating the man who ruined a nation and held innocent people at his barbaric orders is both offensive and embarrassing. Just because a figure is historical does not mean it is good. “is nothing more than a figure of oppression – and white supremacy which, consciously or not, has been celebrated and commemorated in downtown Shrewsbury for hundreds of years,” she notes.
Shrewsbury MPP Daniel Kawczynski of the Conservative Party called for a peaceful discussion of the statue and pledged to carry out “piecemeal” research into the life of the locally born Clive.
“We are in the process of writing a research paper and although I will not comment on its life until after it is written, the British Empire was a great source of good at the time,” said Mr. Kawczynski, who said: said he would use the House of Commons. library for research.
“We honor and celebrate those who helped establish this empire. They are part of our history and should be treated with respect and dignity. I know some people will want to remove all traces of the British Empire, but I have seen huge benefits from what she has done in the world, “he said.
The MP also paid tribute to the British Prime Minister in wartime, Winston Churchill, whose statue on Parliament Square in London was among those targeted by protesters this weekend with graffiti reading “was racist”.
The steps under the nearby Mahatma Gandhi statue were also marked with the word “racist”.
Peter Nutting, the head of the Shropshire Council, said that according to the constitution of the council, all petitions that collect 1,000 signatures are debated to determine any action required.
“In the meantime, while we recognize the strength of feeling around the Black Lives Matter campaign and recognize the right of people to demonstrate, we ask them to do so in a peaceful and safe manner, within the guidelines for of social distancing, “he said.
There is a similar life-size statue of Clive near the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) building on King Charles Street, Whitehall in central London.
The base records its two major career spurts in India, notably the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765.
Clive, born in Market Drayton in Shropshire before his schooling in London, traveled to India for the East India Company in 1743 before returning home to London later in life where he died in 1774 – who would be committed suicide.
Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend were held in different parts of the United Kingdom in solidarity with similar protests in the United States and around the world against the murder of George Floyd, an African American man of 46 years old who was a victim of the police. brutality.
