Buzz
The world offers valuable lessons, with its deep history embedded in every street, building, and monument. Each statue tells its own unique and intriguing story. While the accomplishments of our ancestors often inspire us, confronting their mistakes can be much harder.
It is often said that these figures were products of their time, living in a world with values that are radically different from those we hold today. Judging historical figures by the cultural norms of modern America is a misguided endeavor.
From the slave owners of the Ottoman Empire to the witch hunters of 18th-century Europe, history is filled with both villains and fools. But it is only by understanding our shared past that we can hope to build a truly enlightened and tolerant society.
Mao’s Cultural Revolution teaches us that erasing the past, no matter how troubling, is never the answer. Those in power will always demand more: another book burned, yet another statue toppled.
But when the objects of hatred are completely erased, only one thing remains to vanish: people. A thriving society doesn’t rebuild on the ruins of the past but builds upon what is already in place.
10. Edward Colston Britain
Edward Colston remains a controversial figure in the English city of Bristol. Many of the city’s landmarks are still named after the 17th-century merchant and slave trader. Places like Colston Hall and Colston Tower bear his name, and Colston Avenue hosts a memorial statue celebrating his charitable contributions. Local shops also offer 'Colston buns' for tourists.
From 1681 to 1691, Colston was an official for the Royal African Company. It is estimated that the company’s ships transported 84,000 African slaves, including thousands of children. Approximately 19,000 slaves perished during the voyage to the Americas.
Colston eventually returned to his birthplace, Bristol, and began charitable endeavors. He allocated some of the wealth he gained from slavery, moneylending, and sugar refining to support the region’s almshouses, schools, and hospitals.
On June 7, 2020, an enraged crowd tore down the statue due to Colston’s connections to the slave trade. The statue, which had stood in the city center for over 120 years, was rolled through the streets and tossed into Bristol Harbour. It took the local council four days to recover the bronze figure from the sea floor.
When asked about the incident, Police Superintendent Andy Bennett explained: “You might wonder why we didn’t intervene and why we allowed people to put [the statue] in the docks. We made a tactical decision that preventing the act could lead to further disorder. We determined that, in terms of our policing strategy, the safest course was to let it happen.”
9. Gandhi Ghana
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently took down a statue of Mohandas ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi from the nation’s capital, Accra. The statue, which was unveiled by India’s 13th president, Pranab Mukherjee, was meant to honor the famous anti-colonialist and his peaceful approach to resolving conflicts.
Gandhi is widely regarded as a key figure in ending British colonial rule in India, organizing working-class laborers to protest against discrimination. He encouraged Indian citizens to boycott British goods and leave British-run institutions.
Fast forward to 2018. Staff and students at the University of Ghana were vocal about their opposition to the statue’s presence. They argued that Gandhi had expressed racist views during his time as a lawyer in South Africa in the early 1900s.
At the height of British colonialism, Gandhi advocated for civil rights for Indians in South Africa—but not for black Africans. His critics also claim he referred to black people as “kaffirs,” using the term to describe those he considered “uncivilized.” During his early prison years, Gandhi is said to have recommended segregation between Indians and black South Africans.
After a successful #GandhiMustFall campaign, the statue was removed from the university campus and stored in a secure place. A year later, the statue was revealed once again at the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence.
Ghana’s High Commissioner of India remarked, “We are confident that relocating the statue to a prominent location in Ghana will put an end to what was an ill-conceived campaign regarding certain writings by Mahatma Gandhi.”
8. Chief Pontiac United States
In 2018, a North Carolina dealership lost its most prized mascot. Harry’s on the Hill was home to an unusual statue: a 7-meter (23 ft) Native American warrior. First erected in 1967, the fiberglass ‘muffler man’ was modeled after the 18th-century leader, Chief Pontiac.
The chief served as a symbol for GM’s Pontiac cars, which once used his image in their logo. Chief Pontiac urged tribes to attack British-occupied forts and settlements across the Midwest. Unhappy with new trade restrictions, the tribes sought to expel the British. This led to a series of violent confrontations, eventually resulting in a tentative ceasefire.
In May 2018, a Native American woman had an unpleasant encounter with one of the dealership’s employees. Sabrina Arch attempted to purchase an SUV but found Harry’s prices too high. After unsuccessful attempts to negotiate with the salesperson, she decided to drive two hours to another dealership.
After securing a better price, she snapped a photo of her new car and sent it to the original salesperson at Harry’s. The reply was unexpected. Mistaking the message for a colleague, the salesperson referred to the ‘cherokee lady on yukon’ as a ‘biatch.’
Arch accused Harry’s on the Hill of discrimination and demanded the removal of the Indian mascot. “Having the Indian mascot displayed as you enter this dealership is misleading and should be taken down,” Arch wrote.
Harry’s responded quickly. The salesperson was fired, and within months, the statue was removed. However, the story ended on a positive note. A restoration company gave the chief a fresh coat of paint and relocated him to a museum in Michigan.
7. Jefferson, Columbus, And More United States
Since 2015, protestors have accused many prominent American figures of racism, white supremacy, and genocide. What began as a campaign to remove Confederate monuments quickly expanded into a broader purge of various historical figures.
A statue of President William McKinley, a former Union Army soldier, was taken down in Arcata, California. In Chicago, a bust of Abraham Lincoln was covered in tar, set on fire, and eventually removed. Meanwhile, a statue of Joan of Arc was vandalized with the words: “tear it down.”
Recently, a group of students tore down a statue of Thomas Jefferson outside a school in Portland, Oregon. Jefferson, the nation’s third president and a key figure in drafting the US Constitution, oversaw numerous plantations and owned over 600 slaves. Protesters are now pushing for the school’s name to be changed, removing any reference to the Founding Father.
In Richmond, Virginians pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into a nearby lake. In a separate incident, a crowd lassoed a Columbus statue and toppled it in front of the Minnesota State Capitol building. The mob proceeded to kick the fallen figure. Over June, authorities across the country removed nearly a dozen statues of the 15th-century explorer.
6. Evo Morales Bolivia
Bolivia is currently experiencing a mini revolution following the ousting of former president Evo Morales. First elected in 2005, the leader of the Movement for Socialism aimed to combat illiteracy, poverty, and the nation's heavy dependence on US trade. Morales managed to achieve some of these goals, which initially earned him widespread support.
However, the former trade unionist’s popularity started to fade after he attempted to circumvent the country's three-term limit. His bid for a fourth election sparked violent protests. Morales, accused of attempting a power grab, fled the country and sought asylum abroad.
During his 14 years in power, Morales made the most of his position. Statues were built in his likeness, streets and buildings were renamed in his honor, and his face appeared on state-funded school computers, soccer shirts, and food packaging. His political rivals swiftly moved to erase his image from the public eye.
In January 2020, the country's interim sports minister, Milton Navarro, led a group of citizens to the Evo Morales Sports Stadium in Quillacollo. Armed with sledgehammers, city workers demolished a statue of the disgraced leader and cast it to the ground.
The authorities renamed the stadium to the Quillacollo Olympic Sports Center. Navarro shared his reasoning with the media: “We want to oppose the idolization of Morales.”
5. Comfort Women Philippines
In 2017, the Filipina Comfort Women statue was revealed along the Baywalk waterfront in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The bronze sculpture, which shows a blindfolded woman holding her gown, symbolizes the Filipino women who suffered sexual abuse during World War II.
During this time, the Japanese Imperial Army set up a network of “comfort stations” where troops could sexually exploit women from occupied areas. These stations were created in response to the horrific rapes and killings, such as those seen during the Rape of Nanking.
The military's goal was to create a controlled setting to cover up the atrocities committed by its soldiers and prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Roughly 1,000 young Filipino women were either forced or deceived into joining these military-run brothels.
After years of refusal, the Japanese government officially acknowledged the atrocities in 1993. Although Japan has since provided financial compensation for its wartime crimes, the issue continues to stir strong emotions both in Japan and with its neighboring countries.
Upon learning about the statue, the Japanese embassy in Manila filed an official complaint and demanded to know the individuals responsible for its creation. The Philippine government swiftly changed its stance.
The statue was dismantled in the dead of night, leaving behind a large crater filled with rubble. Officials claimed that the removal was part of preparations for a drainage project, but in truth, the statue was simply returned to its creator, Jonas Roces.
President Rodrigo Duterte supported the decision, stating that he did not want to offend Japan. Manila’s Mayor Joseph Estrada echoed this sentiment, saying, “We should bury [the past] along with the bad things that occurred in the past.”
4. John A. Macdonald Canada
In 1867, the British North America Act marked the foundation of modern Canada. Sir John A. Macdonald became the first prime minister of Canada, uniting the British colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. He played a key role in shaping the Constitution and facilitating the country's economic and territorial development.
Around 150 years later, a statue of Macdonald was removed from Victoria City Hall in British Columbia. This decision came after “Truth and Reconciliation” talks with local Indigenous communities, such as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
Mayor Lisa Helps stated that the discussions themselves raised some concerns. “One of the things we heard very clearly from the Indigenous family members is that coming to city hall to do this work, and walking past John A. Macdonald every time, feels contradictory.”
Consequently, the statue was taken down at a cost of $30,000 and placed into storage.
Macdonald’s government enacted the Indian Act, aiming to integrate First Nations children into Canadian society. Over the span of a century, tens of thousands of Indigenous children were forced into Indian residential schools. Some saw this effort, as former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper put it, as an attempt to 'kill the Indian in the child.'
Reports of abuse against children within Catholic-run schools soon became a national issue. To date, Canada has paid billions in reparations to those impacted by the Indian Act.
3. Everything Iraq
After Saddam Hussein’s fall, sectarian divisions in Iraq deepened. Thousands of disenfranchised Sunni Muslims, reacting to perceived injustices under Iraq’s then-Shia prime minister, joined ISIS.
By 2014, ISIS had seized one-third of Iraq and extended its operations into Syria. The group captured and looted key cities, taking particular pleasure in destroying statues and priceless art. Jihadists ransacked the Mosul Museum, smashing statues with sledgehammers.
The archaeological site of Nimrud was utterly destroyed. The Al-Hadba’ minaret, also known as the hunchback, was toppled using explosives. Similarly, the public library was decimated, resulting in the loss of thousands of irreplaceable manuscripts.
In another location, a 9-ton winged bull, one of the two sentinels guarding the Gates of Nineveh, was demolished with a jackhammer. This magnificent statue, which featured the head of a human, the wings of an eagle, and the body of a bull, was believed to offer spiritual protection to the Assyrian king of ancient Mesopotamia.
Across the vast areas controlled by ISIS in Iraq, countless ancient artifacts and treasures were lost on an unfathomable scale.
ISIS justified this destruction with various religious, political, and historical justifications. The militants claimed they were emulating the actions of the prophet Muhammad, who had destroyed idols to prevent idolatry. However, it was later revealed that the group was using stolen artifacts to fund their military campaigns, which further undermined their already fragile position.
2. Buddha China
Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China is gradually eroding religious freedoms. The one-party surveillance regime has demolished Catholic churches, confined Uighur Muslims to ‘reeducation camps,’ and coerced Buddhists into swearing allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
China permits only a select few religions, each strictly controlled. Agents from the United Front Work Department are dispatched to enforce secular socialism, loyalty to the CCP, and hostility towards Western ideals.
The CCP has used various pretexts to justify the removal, destruction, and concealment of thousands of Buddhist statues. For instance, a 24-meter (79 ft) Shakyamuni Buddha was taken down in Hunchun City, supposedly because it was being 'disrespectfully exposed to the wind and rain.'
A once-popular Guanyin statue, located on Xiaolei Mountain, was destroyed for allegedly obstructing 'the view for airplanes.' Additionally, officials in Jilin City were instructed to blow up a massive 29-meter (95 ft) Buddha, a sculpture that had taken 11 years to carve into the mountainside.
The destruction continues. Buddhist structures have been torn down for being too tall, too visible, or placed in non-religious locations. Statues of the spiritual leader have been replaced with giant teapots or disguised as lotus flowers.
Over 500 golden Arhat statues in Dongyang were shattered for being deemed 'without educational value.' Even Buddha paintings have been replaced with portraits of President Xi, Karl Marx, and Vladimir Lenin. As if his actions weren’t clear enough, Xi declared at a 2016 religious conference that his followers must be 'unyielding Marxist atheists, solidify their faith, and uphold the Party’s principles.'
1. Michael Jackson Britain
Michael Jackson’s legacy has faced severe scrutiny recently. In early 2019, HBO aired a controversial four-hour documentary, Leaving Neverland, in which the pop icon was accused of child abuse.
The film focuses on allegations made by James Safechuck and Wade Robson. They both claimed that Jackson molested them as children during multiple visits to the singer’s Neverland Ranch in California.
The documentary sparked intense debate. Jackson’s supporters defended the late musician, which led to a rise in the sales of his music. In response, the Michael Jackson estate sued HBO for $100 million, accusing Safechuck and Robson of fabricating the accusations for financial gain.
Meanwhile, numerous radio stations worldwide chose to ban the artist’s music. Major corporations like Louis Vuitton and Starbucks swiftly distanced themselves from Jackson’s image. Several museums also decided to remove exhibits dedicated to him.
In 2011, the flamboyant billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed unveiled a statue of Michael Jackson in London. The resin statue was placed at Al Fayed’s former soccer club, sparking amusement among local sports fans. In 2013, the statue was taken down and later relocated to the National Football Museum in 2014.
However, the controversial HBO documentary led the museum to permanently remove the statue. Al Fayed responded with a composed critique: 'If some ignorant fans can’t understand or appreciate this gift that he gave to the world, they can go to hell.'
