Statues of Captain Cook are the latest to come under threat after Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaigners added the explorer to a national hit list.
Two statues in London and Whitby, two museums and a pub are among 125 ‘controversial’ landmarks and tributes that BLM activists want to be renamed or removed.
New additions to the hit list include Captain Cook Square, Captain Cook’s Crescent, James Cook University Hospital, and a Captain Cook museum, all of which are in Middlesbrough, plus the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Whitby.
The ‘Topple the Racists’ list, compiled by the Stop Trump Coalition in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, has more than doubled in length since it was first published in June 2020, the Telegraph has reported.
Campaigners who claim that Britain “must face the truth about its colonial past” have already taken aim at the Oxford tribute to Cecil Rhodes and multiple states of Sir Robert Peel.
the Coalition’s website reads: “James Cook invaded Australia just over 250 years ago. He claimed possession over the entire nation even though it clearly belonged to the people already there,
“What followed was 250 of genocidal activities and policies based on race that murdered thousands of women, men and children. Captain Cook symbolises racial oppression and violence… [The statues] must be removed.”
Robert Goodwill, the MP for Whitby and Scarborough said targeting the memorials is “completely ridiculous”.
He told the Telegraph: “Captain Cook is one of the proudest sons of Whitby. The statue is one of our best-known landmarks, and the Captain Cook Museum is one of our most popular tourist attractions,
“They’re trying to erase important aspects of our history, and we all need to study history and learn from any mistakes. There were things done in the name of the Empire that would not be acceptable now, but we don’t need to expunge them from history.
“We’re proud of Captain Cook in Whitby, and we wouldn’t countenance any attempts to remove him from the history books.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “Any removal should require planning permission and local people given the chance to be properly consulted.
“That’s why we are changing the law to protect historic monuments to ensure we don’t repeat the errors of previous generations.”
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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