Statues boarded up in London as more protests expected

A protective hoarding is erected around a statue of Thomas Guy, outside Guy’s hospital in London, following a raft of Black Lives Matter protests across the UK. Protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, who was killed while in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis, has sparked a wider debate about the UK’s colonial past. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust confirmed two figures depicting Robert Clayton and Thomas Guy will be taken out of public view due to their association with the slave trade. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)

LONDON — Authorities in London boarded up a war memorial and a statue of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill ahead of expected rival demonstrations by anti-racism and far-right protesters, as the city’s mayor on Friday urged protesters to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Monuments have become major focuses of contention in demonstrations against racism and police violence after the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck.

A statue of slave trader Edward Colston was hauled from its plinth by protesters in the English port city of Bristol on Sunday and dumped in the harbor.

Several other statues have been defaced during mass protests around the country, including Churchill’s, which was daubed with the words “was a racist.” Police now fear far-right groups plan to seek confrontation under the guise of protecting statues.

Scaffolders erect boarding around the statue of Sir Winston Churchill at Parliament Square, in London, Thursday, June 11, 2020, following Black Lives Matter protests that took place across the U.K. over the weekend. The protests were ignited by the death of George Floyd, who died after he was restrained by Minneapolis police while in custody on May 25. (Kirsty O’Connor/PA via AP)

With more demonstrations expected on the weekend, a protective plywood screen was erected late Thursday around Churchill’s statue outside Parliament. Authorities also fenced off the nearby Cenotaph, a memorial to Britain’s war dead.

A Black Lives Matter group in London said it was calling off a planned protest on Saturday because the presence of far-right activists would make it unsafe, though some anti-racism demonstrators are still likely to gather. Another anti-racism protest Friday looked set to go ahead.

Authorities have urged protesters not to gather because of the continued risk of spreading the coronavirus. Gatherings of more than six people are currently barred in England, though police have allowed previous demonstrations to take place.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “extremely concerned that further protests in central London not only risk spreading COVID-19 but could lead to disorder, vandalism, and violence.”

He said far-right groups planned to “provoke violence, and their only goal is to distract and hijack this important issue.

“Staying home and ignoring them is the best response this weekend.”