French President Macron says country will not remove statues of leaders amid BLM protests

French President Emmanuel Macron on June 14 said that the country will not remove statues of colonial-era public figures who may have advocated racist policies, terming them as irreplaceable parts of history. France is currently witnessing protests over police prejudice against minorities, particularly against black and Arab communities. President Macron was addressing the nation in a televised speech where he pledged to act uncompromisingly against racism but added that France would not seek the removal of any statue as they are part of the history. 

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Protests against racism

Statues have been defaced and destroyed in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, where protests against racial discrimination are taking place for the past 15-20 days. Protests in France are mainly focused on the judicial death of a young black man, Adama Traore, who died in 2016. The investigation into the matter is still on but after demonstrations erupted worldwide over the killing of an African-American man George Floyd, the issue came into the light again and protesters poured into the streets to demand justice. 

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The matter of controversial colonial-era public figures gained traction after former Prime Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault suggested changing the name of a hall in the parliament that is named after the 17th-century statesman Jean-Baptiste Colbert. According to reports, Colbert was the man behind the infamous 'Code Noir' draft that defined the conditions for slavery in the country. President Macron during his speech also urged the nation to support police forces who help in maintaining security and keeping the country safe. Police forces, however, were not impressed by the president's speech and held their own demonstrations protested against what they see as a lack of support from the government.  

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(Image Credit: AP)