Johnson said protesters are attacking national monuments in an attempt to “censor our past”.
London:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Friday that British anti-racist protests had been “hijacked by extremists” who attacked national monuments in an effort to “censor our past”.
“It is clear that the protests have unfortunately been deflected by extremists committed to violence,” said Johnson in a statement posted on Twitter.
Police have embarked on prominent statues around London before a new wave of protests and rallies this weekend.
A famous statue of Winston Churchill in front of Parliament was erased last weekend during “Black Lives Matter” rallies sparked by the death of George Floyd during a police arrest in Minnesota on May 25.
Johnson called Churchill’s targeting “absurd and shameful”.
“The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his accomplishment in saving this country – and all of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny,” said Johnson, who lists the head of war as one of his personal heroes.
“Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial,” wrote Johnson.
Protesters blame Churchill for the policies that led to the deaths of millions of people during the famine in the Indian state of Bengal in 1943.
“We cannot now try to change or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different story,” said Johnson.
“The statues of our cities were erected by previous generations.”
