Cenotaph, Churchill and Nelson: Secret Met police list of 'contentious' statues that could be attacked
20 February 2023, 20:24
The Metropolitan Police have created a secret list of "contentious" statues that could be targeted by activists.
The dossier of central London landmarks was created following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
Included in the list was the Cenotaph on Whitehall, which is marked as ‘scalable’, as well as the bronze statue in Parliament Square of Churchill and Nelson’s Column.
Explaining why Nelson's Column was listed, the Met claimed he “spent a large part of his career in the Caribbean and developed an affinity with the slave owner”.
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As for Churchill's statue, the force said he was accused of “murdering over three million Indians”.
The reasons for including the Cenotaph have been left blank, it is understood.
The revelation of the list sparked fury among Tory MPs, who condemned 'idiot' protesters behind the destruction.
Tory MP Nigel Mills said: "These are marks of our freedom and democracy that the police should be protecting, not planning on how to cover up.
"It is fair enough if they have got a plan where these idiots are going to strike, but they should not be labelling them contentious – they are national heroes."
According to the Sun, former Cabinet minister Simon Clark said: “There is a particularly bitter irony in thinking there is anything ‘contentious’ about the Cenotaph and our paying lasting respect to all those whose sacrifice means we live in freedom.”
The list was uncovered as part of a Freedom of Information Act request and was being discussed during the 2020 protests. Senior officers had been discussing ways to protect the statues.
Whitehall became a hotspot for Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd by police in the US.
The Met said the list "was highlighting for policing purposes those which were considered contentious by individuals and groups who may have sought to damage them".
