"Great Pride": UK City Mayor Promises To Protect Mahatma Gandhi's Statue

The Mayor of the city of Leicester has committed to protecting the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the heart of the central England city, as an online petition created to save the under-threat monument attracted over 6,000 signatures.

Peter Soulsby confirmed his support for the monument as the city's "great pride" in his response to a letter from former Indian-origin Leicester East MP Keith Vaz, who has been leading a campaign ever since an online petition called for the statue's removal last week.

"I am delighted to be able to give you an absolute assurance that there is no prospect whatsoever of the council agreeing at any time to the removal of the statue - and certainly not while I am Mayor," said Soulsby, the Labour leader of the Leicester City Council.

"It was a matter of great pride that our city with the generous support of the donors was able to celebrate the life of Bapu who was so inspirational in the creation of modern India and such an example to the rest of the world," he said.

The bronze statue, which captures the leader of the freedom struggle in his characteristic walking stride in the city's famous Belgrave Road Golden Mile, came into focus with a "Remove the Gandhi Statue in Leicester" online petition last week alleging that Gandhi was a "facist, racist and sexual predator".

A counter petition launched on Change.Org this week, "Save the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Leicester", has since attracted thousands of signatures in support within days.

"The statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Leicester should never be removed as it resembles independence, non-violence and peace," notes the petition.

"Together we need to fight for justice and save the statue of Gandhi," it adds.

The sculpture by Kolkata artist Gautam Pal was unveiled in 2006 following a fundraising drive by Indian charity Samanwaya Pariwar.

Vaz, the Goan-origin former Labour MP who was present at the launch, led a socially-distanced silent demonstration in keeping with the coronavirus lockdown rules at the monument last week, which was followed up by another "Leicester stands with Gandhiji" show of support on Friday.

Leicester City Council has said all representations would be taken into consideration as part of a wider review of the city's statues, street and building names, which follows similar initiatives being undertaken by local authorities around the UK in the wake of anti-racism Black Lives Matter protests targeting statues with a dubious slave trade history.

"In such a culturally-diverse city as Leicester, it's important that we respect the histories of all our communities and understand the context for the historical references that are part of our streetscape and built environment," a council spokesperson said.

Statues up and down the UK have become a focal point of protests in recent days, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan ordering covers for sculptures at Parliament Square in the UK capital following graffiti attacks directed at some of the monuments.

The Mayor of London's office confirmed that following discussions with the Metropolitan Police, the Gandhi and South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's statues at the square are to be uncovered.

"Following discussions with the Met, covers on both the Gandhi and Mandela statues are due to be removed before the weekend," a spokesperson said.

The statue of former UK PM Winston Churchill in the same square had already been uncovered on Thursday in time for French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to London.