Labour council’s woke guide on how to make statues of historic ‘white oppressors’ less offensive

A Labour council has written a woke ‘toolkit’ on how to make statues of ‘white male oppressors’ less offensive.

Camden Council, which covers Sir Keir Starmer’s constituency of Holborn and St Pancras, has reviewed local memorials which could ‘trigger conflict’.

And it has produced a guide on how others can follow suit – tweaking displays that reinforce ‘white, male dominance over the people’.

Women haven’t escaped the criticism either. A statue of Virginia Woolf was branded with an explanation of her ‘imperialist attitudes and offensive opinions’ as part of the council’s pilot scheme in June 2024.

The toolkit, created in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, has been shared with organisations that oversee public artworks, including the Greater London Authority, Arts Council England, English Heritage and Historic England, it has been reported.

The guidance has also been given to senior figures at the Local Government Association, which advises authorities across England and Wales.

A bust of Virginia Woolf was branded with an explanation of her ‘imperialist attitudes and offensive opinions’ as part of the council’s pilot scheme last year

‘The heyday of public memorialisation, during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, saw many statues erected to honour people considered worthy at that time,’ the guidance states.

‘What has become clear since then is that many came from privileged backgrounds and most often represented white, male-dominated spheres of public life.

‘Much of the wealth generated by these individuals has come from the oppression of peoples.’

It also warns that many figures who have been commemorated could have held ‘prejudiced beliefs about ethnicity, faith, gender, disability and sexuality’.

To abolish the ‘white gaze of traditional memorialisation’, the council pledges to ensure public artworks are ‘inclusive and representative of our diverse communities’.

A questionnaire for authorities to assess whether a memorial could be considered offensive includes, ‘Did the individual/group express prejudiced, hateful or discriminatory views or ideas in their private or public writings?’ and ‘Did the individual or their associates have a direct link to slavery?’

It recommends that further research should be carried out into historical figures after the questionnaire, alongside outreach programmes designed to help residents feel ’empowered’ about the final decision.

To make statues more palatable, Camden Council suggests that new signs and QR codes can be added to explain the person’s actions or opinions.

Alternatively, it says ‘counter-memorials’ opposing the originals could be constructed.

The authority has its sights on around 70 artworks, and council leader Richard Olszewski has pledged to continue the local review to ‘celebrate diversity’.

The toolkit was published on the website for the Camden People’s Museum, which is run by the culture team at the council.

War memorials and depictions of mythical beings are exempt from the review.

A Camden Council spokesman said: ‘This toolkit provides guidance and good practice in designing projects to interpret statues and memorials. It was shared at a launch event with colleagues from London local authorities and organisations, who all responded positively.’