The decision came in the wake of weekend demonstrations that saw the toppling of a statue to the 17th century slave trader Edward Colston in the southwestern port of Bristol. A statue of fellow slave trader Robert Milligan was removed in London's Canary Wharf banking district after Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged public anger on Tuesday. Anti-European populist Nigel Farage caused outrage by comparing the toppling of Colston statue to the Taliban's destruction of ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan in 2001. "What we saw on the weekend was the most appalling example of mob rule," he told ITV television. Meanwhile a few dozen mostly white and elderly protesters rallied around Baden-Powell's statue in a Bournemouth harbour to honour his legacy.

Source: News 24 June 11, 2020 19:41 UTC