Britain’s Indian community has slammed the violent protesters in the name of Black Lives Matter, which resulted into vandalism of an Indian restaurant in Ealing Road, Wembley. Meera’s Village, a pure vegetarian restaurant, based in London’s Wembley area, was left ransacked, including theft of kitchen goods. They also allegedly scribbled racist comments on the wall that have infuriated the community. The restaurant owner has been contacted by Asian Voice for a comment.
On Saturday there were more than 1000 men from far-right groups, including English Defence League (EDL), Britain First and Football Lads Association started gathering in Parliament Square and clashed with police who cordoned off the White Hall area. There were 15 injuries and more than 100 arrests.
Shouting abuse, throwing bottles and beer cans, the far-right hooligans tried to attack Black Lives Matter protesters, but police formed a thin line between the groups and pushed them out of the square after a 20-minute brawl in all directions.
The far-right groups started fresh clashes with police in and around Parliament Square later on, some group also tried to reach back in Trafalgar Square.
On the other hand, a petition to remove a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Leicester has received nearly 5,000 signatures. The online petition accuses the Indian independence campaigner of being "a fascist, racist and sexual predator".
Last year, students from Manchester called for a similar statue of Gandhi to be removed because of his alleged ‘well-documented anti-Black racism’, which was rejected.
Former MP Keith Vaz stands up to anti-Gandhi petitions
Keith Vaz, the former MP for Leicester East and who is the UK’s longest serving Indian origin MP, and who was elected to Parliament 33 years ago has called on the organisers of a petition attempting to remove the a statue of Mahatma Gandhi from the Belgrave Road, Leicester to withdraw their petition or face it being referred to the police for inciting racial hatred.
Mr Vaz was present when the statue was unveiled 11 years ago by the then Home Secretary Alan Johnson whom he had invited to perform the ceremony with a major religious leader from India. The statue was paid for by public subscription, no taxpayers money was involved.
He said trying to remove the statue from the road was insult not just to the British Indian community but to all those who drew inspiration and strength from Gandhi. He said he was prepared to defend the statue himself if anyone tried to remove it.
Keith Vaz told Asian Voice, “This is a dreadful petition that seeks to divide communities in Leicester and in the country. Those behind it know full well the consequences of what they are asking for. Gandhi’s statues in Leicester and London are an inspiration for peace, harmony and non-violence. He was one of the greatest peacemakers in history. If this is not withdrawn, I will certainly refer it to the police to consider whether it incites racial hatred. We have come a long way in 33 years on racial equality but clearly there is a long way to go. If there is any attempt to remove it, I will be there to defend it personally.”
Responding to a campaign to remove Leicester’s statue of Mahatma Gandhi, Claudia Webbe, Member of Parliament for Leicester East, said, “I stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests here in Leicester and across the UK. I will continue to support all those across the world who are safely and peacefully protesting systems of racist oppression.
“I believe that the calls to take down the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Leicester are a distraction from this crucial movement.
“I recognise that, like many people of his era, Gandhi said and did some questionable things in his life. Yet Gandhi was part of creating a historical anti-imperialist movement in the same way that Martin Luther King created a ground-breaking civil rights movement. His form of peaceful protest, like Black Lives Matter today, was a powerful force for change.
“In my view, the difference between a statue of Gandhi and statues of slavers such as Edward Colston, is that there is no reasonable debate that Colston – who derived his wealth from the murderous slave trade – is a morally defensible figure to be memorialised. The same cannot be said for Gandhi, who remains a hero to many of Leicester’s Asian community and to millions across the world.”
The Gandhi statue in the Parliament Square also had to be covered up to save it from racist graffitis. Lord Meghnad Desai,
Chairman, Gandhi Memorial Statue Trust, who was a a pioneer behind the installation of this statue, added, "It is a pity and a shame that the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square is to be covered up ahead of the BLM rally. Gandhi has nothing to hide.He is a pioneer of the struggle against imperialism and racism who inspired Dr. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela."
Lord Clive is not ‘of India’
The row about statues is however now reached Whitehall, with leading figures calling for the removal of Lord Clive ‘of India’ statue from outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, “Robert Clive is just as bad as Edward Colston,” Lord Adonis told Evening Standard, while writer Afua Hirsch said: “He is not “of India”, he plundered it.”
Clive was an 18th-century soldier who laid the foundations for the later British Raj, though he himself worked for the East India Company. A statue of him was erected by in 1916.
Debate on ‘Statues and Heritage in today’s context’
Sourav Niyogi, President of Bengal Heritage Foundation told this newsweekly, "Ignoring past history - be it that of slavery or of colonialism - can be damaging not only from a race relations or cultural perspective but also from an economic perspective especially in a post Brexit world. Honouring famous people through statues in public areas and education of history are mutually exclusive areas but very important culturally. The reasons to honour publicly should be carefully considered. Statues of personalities not worthy of honour any more can always find a place in museums. They will serve the purpose of education of history in the context of their time and age, in addition to understanding of architectural sculpture.
"However, how do you determine democratically, which statues are relevant today - more often than not there are no easy answers. Historical characters are complex personalities. To delve deeper, we at Bengal Heritage Foundation are planning a discussion on ‘Statues and Heritage in today’s context’ in mid July as part of our ‘The Think Tank : A Bengal Heritage Conversation’ series.
