Honouring H M Stanley with a statue gives him hero status and ignores the atrocities committed during colonialism. During his African expeditions, Stanley was known for his brutal methods, including widespread use of forced labour, for selling labourers into slavery, and for burning and destroying villages. Stanley himself wrote "the savage only respects force, power, boldness, and decision".

Stanley was an accomplice to King Leopold II of Belgium, who exploited and enslaved the Congolese population, with an estimated 10 to 15 million people killed during the King's colonisation. Not only did Stanley help facilitate years of forced labour and violence, he continued to defend the King even after the devastation in the Congo was brought to public attention.

Denbigh's H M Stanley statue glorifies the slavery, exploitation, and violence during colonisation in Africa. It must be removed. However, it is important that we don't forget or ignore Stanley's legacy - this is why it is crucial that Denbigh has a permanent educational exhibition conveying Stanley's story, giving full historical context, and providing wider education on colonisation. We should not honour his history, but learn from it.