UK PM opposes removal of statues from country, says history cannot be 'photoshopped'

As the Black Lives Matter protesters have started removing statues of historical figures in the UK, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called it “distortion of history”. While writing an opinion piece for an international news outlet, Johnson said that if people start removing the images of all those whose attitudes do not align with them then the citizens are engaged in a “great lie”. The UK PM has repeatedly condemned the violence prevailing in the demonstrations against racism in the country but has also said that Britain can not “photoshop” its cultural landscape and its complex historical past. 

Amid row of protesters pulling down the statues of personalities from the history after African American George Floyd died in police custody in the US, Johnson defended former Britsih PM Winston Churchill and called him a “hero”. UK’s Conservative PM said that it was “absurd and deplorable” that Churchill’s statue on the Parliament Square should have been in danger. Moreover, British PM insisted that he is not the only one who will ‘resist with every breath in the body any attempt to remove that statue’.

While Johnson has showcased strong support for Churchill, according to reports, the former UK PM had expressed racist and anti-Semitic views. Some critics of his leadership have also blamed Churchill for denying food to India during the 1943 famine that killed more than a million people. Meanwhile, earlier this month, a statue of Edward Colston, an affluent personality in the 17th century who reportedly earned through the slave trade, was not only pulled down but was also thrown into the harbour in Bristol.

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'Racism has no place' in UK

Meanwhile, after clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and the police forces, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned the “racist thuggery” on June 13. He also added that “racism has no place” in the country but according to him the demonstrations that have been triggered by the tragic death of African American George Floyd in police custody in US, are “subverted” with violence and have even violated the government’s guidelines. UK Prime Minister has urged people to unite so that racial discrimination can be eradicated from the country. 

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