A petition aiming at the removal of the statues of Leopold II collected in a few days around 53,000 signatures. Statues of the former King of the Belgians were also vandalized on Thursday. Why are the actions against Leopold II increasing?
A statue of Leopold II was covered with paint on June 4 in the garden of the Museum of Africa in Tervuren. This is not a first. In January 2018 and in the past, various statues of the former sovereign Leopold II have been vandalized.
Statues of Leopold II in the crosshairs of petitions or disputed acts … This does not surprise Leslie Makoso, who campaigns for the collective “Colonial memory”: “It’s as if colonization has consequences: the discrimination, racist acts, institutional racism that young people suffer. “
In 2019, four independent UN experts call on Belgium to apologize for the “atrocities” of colonization. According to these experts, the role of King Leopold II in the colonization of the Congo should be “recognized” to can “close this dark chapter in history. “
►►► Read also : UN experts call on Belgium to apologize for “atrocities” of colonization
A strong gesture
However, the collective Mémoire colonial does not campaign for the destruction of all the statues of Leopold II. “We are not for a systematic debunking of the statues, but for a systematic contextualization.“
In recent years, various municipalities in the country have also added explanatory signs. The city of Vilvoorde also has removed the portrait of Leopold II removed from the town hall.
►►► Read also : Flanders: most of Leopold II’s statues are provided with explanatory plaques
For Brussels MP Kalvin Soiresse Njall, it will also require strong gestures: “There are a lot of statues of Leopold II, it’s an apology. Some must be removed and sent to museums. “
This is what the municipality of Ixelles intends to do: it will move the statue of General Storms to the Africa Museum. A resolution has just been voted in this direction in the Brussels Parliament and plans to speak also of those who resisted colonization and carry out an inventory of this colonial heritage: “If all this happens now, it is because we have been slow to do this job“, Kalvin Soiresse Njall analyzes.
“There is an anger that is completely legitimate and I think we have to look into it to avoid the possible overflows.“
Counter petition
Meanwhile, a counter petition requests the maintenance of the statues of Leopold II. It currently collects nearly 4,000 signatures.
The signatories of this counter-petition do not want “not deny their story. A country that cannot assume its history cannot exist“.
–
