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#Post#: 9393--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: October 14, 2021, 9:29 pm
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HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53VWhbr5Lxc
A good start, but hopefully this can be expanded into a campaign
to eventually remove actual colonialist statues in Hong Kong
also.
#Post#: 9407--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: October 15, 2021, 10:23 pm
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Promises by Westerners mean nothing:
HTML https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/oct/11/oxford-college-installs-plaque-calling-cecil-rhodes-a-committed-colonialist
[quote]An Oxford college has installed a plaque next to a statue
of the mining magnate and politician Cecil Rhodes, describing
him as “committed British colonialist” who exploited the
“peoples of southern Africa”.
...
The University of Oxford angered campaigners in May by
backtracking on its previous decision to remove the statue,
ignoring the views of an independent commission.
The explanatory plaque says Rhodes was a “committed British
colonialist” who “obtained his fortune through exploitation of
minerals, land and peoples of southern Africa. Some of his
activities led to great loss of life and attracted criticism in
his day and ever since.”
...
“We can’t take down absolutely everything that connects us to
colonialism,” said the woman, who asked to be referred to as
Rosie. “Are we going to take all the banking system down, all
the things that made this country?”[/quote]
Actually, we have aimed to take down the Western banking system
from the beginning.
[quote]An 18-year-old woman who gave her name as Oliver, from
Denmark, said the plaque seemed to be an attempt to reach a
middle ground. “But the middle ground is more about working
around some people’s egos … it [the statement] feels like
something I would read in a GCSE textbook.”
“I certainly don’t think it’s too much,” said a young passerby,
responding to academic complaints that the plaque had gone too
far down the road of vilifying Rhodes. He said: “I think for
some people it probably won’t be enough, because if you don’t
want to walk past [the statue] every day, you are still not
going to want to walk past it.”[/quote]
Exactly.
The following is not a bad idea, however:
HTML https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/may/29/rhodes-statue-should-be-turned-to-face-wall-says-antony-gormley
[quote]Sculptor suggests solution to row over keeping statue of
colonialist in place at Oriel College
The statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College, Oxford, should be
turned to face the wall in shame, the sculptor Antony Gormley
has proposed.
Gormley’s suggestion, made in an interview with the Financial
Times, would be an innovative solution to a years-long battle
over whether the 19th-century colonialist and white supremacist
should remain in pride of place at the university.
It comes after Oriel decided to retain the statue, despite the
findings of an independent commission that backed its removal.
Gormley said the statue should stay, the FT reported. But he
added: “If we need to readdress our relationship to him, I would
just simply turn him to face the wall rather than facing
outwards.”
Turning Rhodes to face the wall would be “an acknowledgment of
collective shame” that would also “reassert the fact that Oriel
College and many institutions have property from Rhodes’s
riches”, the FT quoted Gormley as saying.[/quote]
The statue:
[img]
HTML https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8139b8a6dd139b33be1f9bb056b1860996a6782a/0_411_7360_4414/master/7360.jpg?width=465&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=68b1cef04d1e6d3bbf636c12586c58d8[/img]
#Post#: 9553--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: October 24, 2021, 10:13 pm
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I support this idea:
HTML https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-21/museum-proposes-melting-lee-statue-to-make-new-artwork
[quote]“Recontextualization is not enough,” the museum said in
the proposal, stressing that wherever the statue goes, it would
remain “an icon of violent white supremacy.”[/quote]
#Post#: 9589--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: October 28, 2021, 12:55 am
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HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/pacific-islanders-rally-racist-statue-165904640.html
[quote]Carrying signs and chanting in Spokane, Wash., about 40
Pacific Islanders and allies protested the statue of a
19th-century U.S. Navy sailor.
The rally: The protesters marched through downtown Spokane on
Oct. 16. demanding City Council members take down a statue of
John R. Monaghan.
...
Historical significance: According to CAC Community Outreach,
the statue of Monaghan was erected in 1906.
“Although most who pass by the statue are unlikely to know
who Monaghan was, or what battle he fought in, it is known
around the world to the Pacific Islander community as a
devastating reminder of the thousands of innocent men, women,
and children whom were brutally murdered,” CAC Community
Outreach wrote in the petition. "It stands as a monument to the
unprovoked, antagonistic, colonial attacks by the United States
on Sāmoa and Sāmoan civilians, and to the racist
perceptions that Americans had of them at that time. The impacts
have been deep and lasting."
“But the racist and ignorant perceptions that went virtually
unquestioned during that era should not be allowed to represent
Spokane today, 115 years later,” they continued. “We must not
continue to pay homage to unjust wars, people who carry them
out, and racist, colonial beliefs that lead to them.”[/quote]
If the government refuses, just pull it down yourselves!
#Post#: 10041--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: December 8, 2021, 1:27 am
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HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFtTEl3DnG0
#Post#: 10141--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: Zea_mays Date: December 16, 2021, 8:12 pm
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During the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee's estate was seized
and used as a cemetery:
[quote]In June 1862, the 37th United States Congress enacted
legislation that imposed a property tax on all land in
"insurrectionary" areas of the United States.[19] The 1863
amendments to the statute required these taxes to be paid in
person.[16][20] But Mary Lee, afflicted with severe rheumatoid
arthritis and behind Confederate lines, could not pay the tax in
person.[20] The Arlington estate was seized for nonpayment of
taxes. It was auctioned off on January 11, 1864, and the U.S.
government won the property for $26,800 ($453,095 today).
[...]
By early 1864, the military cemeteries of Washington, D.C., and
Alexandria, Virginia, were rapidly filling with war dead.
Quartermaster General of the United States Army Montgomery C.
Meigs proposed using 200 acres (81 ha) of the Arlington estate
as a cemetery.[13] United States Secretary of War Edwin M.
Stanton approved the establishment of a military cemetery on
June 15, 1864, creating Arlington National Cemetery.[16][23]
Meigs believed that since Lee had committed treason in deciding
to fight against the Union,[24] denying Lee use of the mansion
after the war was a rough form of justice.[25] Meigs decided
that a large number of burials should occur close to Arlington
House to render it unlivable. Officers were to be buried next to
the main flower garden south of the house, and the first burial
occurred here on May 17.[26] Meigs ordered that additional
burials commence immediately on the grounds of Arlington House
in mid-June.[26] When Union officers bivouacked in the mansion
complained and had the burials temporarily stopped, Meigs
countermanded their orders and had another 44 dead officers
buried along the southern and eastern sides of the main flower
garden within a month.[26][/quote]
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_House,_The_Robert_E._Lee_Memorial
[quote]Beginning in 1863, the federal government used the
southern portion of the land now occupied by the cemetery as a
settlement for freed slaves, giving the name of "Freedman's
Village" to the land. The government constructed rental houses
that 1,100 to 3,000 freed slaves eventually occupied while
farming 1,100 acres (450 ha) of the estate and receiving
schooling and occupational training during the Civil War and
after War ended.[25] [/quote]
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_National_Cemetery#Freedman's_Village
#Post#: 10412--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: January 5, 2022, 8:24 pm
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We are winning the culture war:
HTML https://news.sky.com/story/edward-colston-statue-four-protesters-found-not-guilty-of-criminal-damage-after-toppling-monument-of-slave-trader-12509488
[quote]Four protesters have been found not guilty of causing
criminal damage after toppling of the statue of slave trader
Edward Colston in Bristol during a Black Lives Matter protest.
...
In closing speeches, defence barristers had argued that the
Colston statue - erected in 1895 - had become inappropriate and
offensive and that over the years, thousands had signed
petitions to have it removed.
Liam Walker QC, representing Sage Willoughby, had told the jury
their decision would reverberate around the world:
Advertisement
"Make no mistake members of the jury, your decision is not just
going to be felt in this courtroom or this city," he said. "I
urge you all to be on the right side of history."
Tom Wainwright, representing Milo Ponsford, told the court: "If
you have a cancer like Colston festering in your city, you cut
it out. Only once it's gone that the body can heal."[/quote]
Yes! There is also a cancer festering on the planet. It is
called Western civilization.
#Post#: 10827--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: January 25, 2022, 8:04 pm
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What I like to see:
HTML https://news.sky.com/story/juan-ponce-de-leon-statue-of-spanish-explorer-toppled-in-puerto-rico-hours-before-kings-visit-12524459
[img width=1280
height=720]
HTML https://e3.365dm.com/22/01/2048x1152/skynews-juan-ponce-de-leon_5651285.jpg?bypass-service-worker&20220124153515[/img]
[quote]A statue of a Spanish explorer in Puerto Rico has been
toppled hours before a visit by the King of Spain to the US
Caribbean territory.
Juan Ponce de Leon, who landed on the island with Christopher
Columbus in 1493, ruled the territory as its first governor.
He put down a rebellion by the native Tainos, a subgroup of the
Arawak Indians.
...
The incident occurred just hours before Spain's King Felipe VI
was due to meet Puerto Rico governor Pedro Pierluisi and other
officials to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the founding of
San Juan.
Two years ago, activists marched through the streets of Old San
Juan in support of a US movement to eradicate symbols of
oppression and demanded that Spain's legacy in Puerto Rico be
erased.[/quote]
Yes! Being American means being the enemy of all Western
colonial powers.
About Ponce de Leon:
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n
[quote]In 1502 the newly appointed governor, Nicolás de Ovando,
arrived in Hispaniola. The Spanish Crown expected Ovando to
bring order to a colony in disarray.[16][21] Ovando interpreted
this as authorizing subjugation of the native Taínos. Thus,
Ovando authorized the Jaragua massacre in November 1503. In
1504, when Tainos overran a small Spanish garrison in Higüey on
the island's eastern side, Ovando assigned Ponce de León to
crush the rebellion.[21]
Ponce de León was actively involved in the Higüey massacre,
about which friar Bartolomé de las Casas attempted to notify
Spanish authorities. Ovando rewarded his victorious commander by
appointing him frontier governor of the newly conquered
province, then named Higüey also.
...
In 1508 King Ferdinand ... authorized Ponce de León to conquer
the remaining Taínos and exploit them in gold mining.[23]
...
Ponce de León parceled out the native Taínos amongst himself and
other settlers using a system of forced labor known as
encomienda.[32] The Indians were put to work growing food crops
and mining for gold. Many of the Spaniards treated the Taínos
very harshly and death rates were very high. The demand for
slaves kidnapped from other islands grew. By June 1511 the
Taínos were pushed to a short-lived rebellion, which was
forcibly put down by Ponce de León and a small force of troops
armed with crossbows and arquebuses.[33][34]
...
On 14 June they set sail again looking for a chain of islands in
the west that had been described by their captives. They reached
the Dry Tortugas on 21 June.[21] There they captured giant sea
turtles, Caribbean monk seals, and thousands of seabirds.
...
Ponce de León was also ordered to organize an armada for the
purpose of attacking and subduing the Caribs, who continued to
attack Spanish settlements in the Caribbean.[78]
Three ships were purchased for his armada and after repairs and
provisioning Ponce de León left Spain on 14 May, 1515 with his
little fleet. The record of his activities against the Caribs is
vague. There was one engagement in Guadeloupe on his return to
the area and possibly two or three other encounters.[79] The
campaign came to an abrupt end in 1516 when Ferdinand
died.[/quote]
Remember, all of the above could have been prevented if only
Spain had remained Andalus. This is why America should always
side with the Islamic world against any Western country.
#Post#: 10843--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: January 26, 2022, 8:41 pm
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HTML https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/st-kilda-s-captain-cook-statue-doused-in-red-paint-in-australia-day-protest-20220126-p59r9l.html
[quote]A Melbourne monument depicting Captain James Cook was
doused in red paint overnight as part of an Australia Day
protest.
The statue, located near St Kilda beach, was defaced and its
base was papered with flyers proposing the abolition of
Australia Day celebrations. The vandalism attracted a small
group of curious locals to Catani Gardens on Wednesday morning
before the paint was hosed off by council workers.
...
It is not the first time the statue has been defaced. Vandals
poured pink paint over the monument on the eve of Australia Day
in 2018, scribbling the words “no pride” beneath Captain Cook’s
feet along with the Aboriginal flag.
A similar memorial at Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North was
also reportedly defaced, but a caller to 3AW said he cleaned the
“thick red paint” off early Wednesday morning.
That statue was covered with graffiti in 2020. The words
“destroy white supremacy” and “remove this” were scrawled on the
monument’s stone and bitumen in front of it.
The discovery came on the same day a statue of Captain Cook in
Sydney was defaced, and a day after busts of former prime
ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard were vandalised in
Ballarat.[/quote]
If the government will not take down the statues, we must take
them down ourselves.
[quote]In Victoria, a Gippsland council voted against removing
two monuments honouring Scottish explorer and pastoralist Angus
McMillan, who was linked to the massacre of Indigenous people in
the area.
The motion, put forward by councillor Carolyn Crossley, was
responding to demands around the world for the removal of
monuments to oppressors as part of the Black Lives Matter
movement.
The proposal to remove the monument was backed by Gunaikurnai
Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation chair Troy McDonald, who
said the cairn dedicated to McMillan represented the celebration
of a man arriving on Aboriginal land and committing
genocide.[/quote]
McMillan thought it was OK to be "white". Those who want to keep
his monuments up are agreeing with him.
#Post#: 11117--------------------------------------------------
Re: Statue decolonization
By: 90sRetroFan Date: February 7, 2022, 8:28 pm
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Another one down!
HTML https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-02-03/statue-of-racist-ex-gov-bilbo-quietly-moved-in-mississippi
[quote]JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A statue of white supremacist
former Mississippi Gov. Theodore Bilbo has quietly been moved
out of sight in the state Capitol — a move praised by Black
lawmakers who say he never deserved a place of prominence.
...
Democratic Rep. Kabir Karriem, a member of the Legislative Black
Caucus, said its lingering presence was “very offensive" in a
state where nearly 40% of residents are Black.
...
Another member of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus,
Democratic Rep. Ed Blackmon of Canton, said that when he was
first elected to the House in 1979, the Bilbo statue was still
in the rotunda.
“That’s the first person I met when I came to the Capitol,”
Blackmon said Thursday. “I said, ‘My God. Bilbo.’”
During Bilbo's last campaign in 1946, a group of Black
Mississippi residents filed a petition with the U.S. Senate,
saying Bilbo had used “inflammatory appeals" to white people and
incited violence that discouraged Black voters from
participating in the Democratic primary, according to the U.S.
Senate.[/quote]
About Bilbo:
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_G._Bilbo
[quote]Bilbo proposed an amendment to the federal work-relief
bill on June 6, 1938, which would have deported twelve million
black Americans to Liberia at federal expense to relieve
unemployment.[37]
...
The Democrats assigned Bilbo to what was considered the least
important Senate committee, one on governance of the District of
Columbia, to try to limit his influence. Bilbo, however, used
his position to advance his white supremacist views. Bilbo was
against giving any vote to district residents, especially as the
district's black population was increasing because of the Great
Migration.
...
Bilbo revealed his membership in the Ku Klux Klan in an
interview on the radio program Meet the Press. He said:
No man can leave the Klan. He takes an oath not to do that. Once
a Ku Klux, always a Ku Klux.[42]
He was a prominent participant in the lengthy southern
Democratic filibuster of the Costigan-Wagner anti-lynching bill
before the Senate in 1938.
...
Bilbo was outspoken in saying that blacks should not be allowed
to vote anywhere in the United States, regardless of the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments to the Constitution.
...
In 1946, he wrote to General MacArthur, head of the Allied
occupation of Japan, that the Japanese should "all be
sterilized."[44]
During the 1946 Democratic Senate primary in Mississippi, his
last race, Bilbo was the subject of a series of attacks by
journalist Hodding Carter, Jr., in his paper, the Greenville
Delta Democrat-Times. Dismayed that the Supreme Court had ruled
that white primaries were unconstitutional, he urged his white
supporters to prevent black citizens from voting. At least half
of all black citizens were prevented from voting in the primary
due to threats of violence.[45][/quote]
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