Recent events focused upon the Black Lives Matter campaign and anti-racism campaigning in general, have witnessed a focus upon the vilification, vandalism and destruction of artefacts, statues and memorials of people and institutions with historic links to the slave trade. 

We say that all such historical references, artefacts, statues and memorials must be allowed to remain but must now be re-defined for the 21st Century.

Those artefacts all have tremendous utility in the 21st century - not as a glorification of the subjects - but as a reminder of the atrocities of the past.

Keep the artwork and the artefacts... and re-define them, use them to educate. Don't destroy them. ISIS destroys historical artefacts it doesn't like and we're not like ISIS.

These artefacts are part of our cultural heritage, good or bad, they are an integral part of the fabric of our lives in the United Kingdom. They should now be relocated to appropriate venues (such as anti-slavery museums) or should now be left in-situ and augmented by supportive information highlighting the true nature of some of the darker aspects of history relating to the subject matter.  

The Germans have kept Auschwitz.... 

Lest we forget