DARKEST HOUR
Boris Johnson rages ‘we cannot lie about our history’ as Winston Churchill statue is boarded up over protest fears
FURIOUS Boris Johnson today said "we cannot lie about our history" as after Sir Winston Churchill's statue and the Cenotaph had to be boarded up over fears they would be targeted again by protesters.
Protective boards were also placed around the Cenotaph and several other statues, which were vandalised during a Black Lives Matter demonstration at the weekend, a move which Boris described as "absurd and shameful"
26
26
26
The statue of Britain's leader during the struggle against the Nazis was vandalised on Saturday, while a protester was pictured trying to burn the Union Flag on the Cenotaph, which commemorates Britain's war dead.
Protesters scrawled "was a racist" on the statue of the wartime PM, and "BLM" was written on the Cenotaph too.
Police are preparing for clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and far-right yobs in the coming days.
The statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi are also being boarded up as part of efforts to stop them being vandalised.
The PM blasted the news today in a series of tweets and defended Sir Winston Churchill statue and all others remaining up, despite protests to take them down.
He said: "We cannot now try to edit or censor our past.
"We cannot pretend to have a different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations.
"They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults.
"To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come.”
And defending his personal wartime hero, Sir Winston, he added: "The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country – and the whole of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny..
"It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should today be at risk of attack by violent protestors.
"Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial."
He again urged people to stay away from protests at the weekend, saying: "It is clear that the protests have been sadly hijacked by extremists intent on violence.
"The attacks on the police and indiscriminate acts of violence which we have witnessed over the last week are intolerable and they are abhorrent."
26
26
But he said he understood the reasons for the protest, and argued; "Whatever progress this country has made in fighting racism - and it has been huge - we all recognise that there is much more work to do."
Speaking on a visit to a testing centre in Milton Keynes, the PM said people acting illegally would face the "full force of the law".
He added: "What makes me sad is that the statue of Churchill, who is a national hero, had had to be boarded up for fear of violent attack.
"That is to me, absurd and wrong, you should not have a situation where people who are protesting are attacking people or public property.
"What has happened is a tiny minority, a growing minority have hijacked them.
"They are using them as a pretext to attack the police, to cause violence and to cause damage to public property."
And he urged people not to attend this weekend, saying: "My message to everybody is that for all sorts of reasons - they should not go."
An official Black Lives Matter protest planned for Hyde Park have been called off amid fears of violence, but there are still fears thousands will turn out again anyway.
Politicians reacted with fury this morning and urged ministers to get a grip on the protests which have swept through the UK.
Conor Burns MP said: "The Cenotaph is being boarded up. Our national memorial to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy - and many abuse - today.
"The statue of the greatest fighter for freedom who saved half Europe and the world - Winston Churchill - is boarded up. We need grip."
And Ben Bradley told The Sun: "I think it's very sad that this is deemed necessary to prevent criminal damage, when senior decision makers in the police are saying that they won't intervene to prevent these crimes taking place.
"These monuments need protecting, but having to board them up speaks volumes about the gravity of the situation as it stands.
"It's not about race now, this whole debate and protest, it's about our history and heritage, and attempts to edit the past to make it more palatable for a minority of very vocal people."
Former Chancellor Sajid Javid tweeted: "So depressing."
Toy MP Richard Graham added: "The statue of Churchill in Parlmt Sq being boarded up on Mayor Khan’s instructions. He is also Police & Crime Commissioner for London.
"If we’re not prepared to protect the statue of our WW2 leader a month after the 75th anniversary of VE Day something has gone very wrong."
London Assembly Member David Kurten added: " London Mayor @sadiqkhan should not be boarding up the statue of Winston Churchill so nobody can see it; he should have made it clear that vandalising it is unacceptable, and imposed a Section 14 order to prevent BLM vandals & thugs from collecting there."
And Nigel Farage added: "This is surrender to the mob."
26
26
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is being temporarily covered for its protection.
“The overwhelming majority of protests have been peaceful, but after recent damage the decision was taken by the GLA City Operations Unit to cover it.”
Far extremists and football hooligans are planning to counter Black Lives Matter protests and protect monuments this weekend in what police fear is a "perfect storm".
Police officers with full riot gear will be on standby "kitted up and ready to go"in case of clashes.
Busloads of fans attached to "firms" at various football clubs are planning to travel hundreds of miles to defend monuments after a number were vandalised during the Black Lives Matter demos.
A flier posted on Facebook said that hooligans from Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Cardiff City, Swindon and Newport will "put aside their rivalries and guard the Cenotaph from vandals".
Both the Mayor of London and the PM have begged protestors to stay home this weekend.
Mr Khan said this morning: "My message to all those planning to protest over the next few days for #BlackLivesMatter: For yourselves, your family members who may be vulnerable to Covid-19, and for the wider cause, please stay at home and find a safe way to make your voices heard."
26
26
26
26
26
26
26
26
It comes after a memorial to Queen Victoria in a park in Leeds was defaced with the word "murderer" and "BLM".
Millwall fans spent Tuesday afternoon guarding the Churchill statue on Parliament Square, while war veterans stood in front of the cenotaph in Hull yesterday during a Black Lives Matter protest.
There are fears hundreds are planning to attend a "patriotic unity" event at Churchill's statue in Westminster on Saturday morning.
'PERFECT STORM'
The Democratic Football Lads Alliance, a network founded in 2017 that claims to oppose terrorism and conserve British traditions, has told members to defend statues and war memorials.
English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson and far-right group Britain First are among those supporting the protection of monuments.
Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: "There's an awful lot of preparation going on. I have been very critical of the way this has been managed. We have got the perfect storm ahead of us this weekend, we have got planned protests and now Tommy Robinson and his agitators."
He added: "You will see more officers kitted up and ready to go."
However, Mr Robinson said this morning he wouldn't be attending the protests this weekend.
The Telegraph reported that more than 30 Public Support Units - each with 24 police officers who have undergone specialist tactical training in public order and riot control - will be deployed.
26
26
26
Sixty-two officers were injured in London last week, including a PC who was thrown from her horse on Whitehall and is still in hospital. There were 135 arrests over three protests that turned violent.
Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope Not Hate, said: "While the group's stated intention of protecting the war memorials might attract the sympathy of some, let us be in no doubt about their real objective - violence."
In a statement, the Met urged people "not to continue coming out and gathering" for protests during the coronavirus pandemic which "potentially risks their health and also risks taking the virus back to their families."
Unmesh Desai, who is the Labour London Assembly spokesman for policing and crime, has written to all professional football clubs based in London to ask them to condemn the plans by the so-called "football lads alliance".
26
Most read in News
The toppling of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol on Sunday has led to demands for other historic monuments to be removed.
The statue was pulled down amid worldwide protests triggered by the death of George Floyd.
Mr Floyd died after a white police officer held him down by pressing his knee into his neck for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.
A website called "topple the racists" has compiled a list of around 78 statues and other memorials across the UK it argues should be taken down, because they "celebrate slavery and racism".
This includes 19th-century slave owner Sir Thomas Picton, 18th-century colonialist trader Robert Clive and 17th-century merchant Elihu Yale who had links to the slave trade.
Campaigners have also challenged memorials to Sir Robert Peel, founder of the Met Police in London and former prime minister William Gladstone.
The statue of slave owner Robert Milligan was removed from West India Quay in London's Docklands on Tuesday night.
London Mayor Mr Khan has also announced a new commission to review the capital's landmarks.
In Oxford, hundreds gathered on Tuesday evening to demand the fall of a statue of Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes.
In Edinburgh, a petition has been launched to remove the statue of slave owner Henry Dundas in St Andrew Square and for streets bearing his name to be renamed.
26
26
26
26
26
Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said more than 155,000 people across the UK had so far taken part in almost 200 demonstrations.
Some 137 people have been arrested, while others have been fined for breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules, which prohibit gatherings of more than six people.
Mr Hewitt said anyone who damages a monument or pulls down a statue is committing a criminal offence and police "will seek to bring people to justice".
But he added: "It's not a matter for the police, unless a criminal offence is committed, this is a matter for those people that own or are the guardians of the statues wherever they may be, and dealing with those people who feel very strongly about appropriateness or otherwise of those statues."
Home Secretary Priti Patel is reported to have had a "firm" discussion with Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Andy Marsh about why officers did not intervene when the Colston statue was torn down.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
But Mr Harrington, the NPCC lead for public order, said it was up to operational commanders to make decisions on whether officers should step in to stop damage to monuments but said people's safety would be prioritised over property.
He said: "What we will do is have appropriate plans and of course the officers will be there looking to make sure that people don't get hurt in the first instance, trying to protect property if that's the right thing to do, but people come first, making sure officers and those taking part are safe."
London's landmarks boarded up in anticipation of further protests
26
26
Most read in News
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - STAY IN THE KNOW
Don't miss the latest news and figures - and essential advice for you and your family.
To receive The Sun’s Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, .
To follow us on Facebook, simply .
Get Britain’s best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day – .
Topics