25 signatures reached
To: Lord Mayor of Westminster, Jonathan Glanz
Remove the statue of the racist coloniser Captain Cook from The Mall
City of Westminster:
Take down the Captain Cook Statue from The Mall before we tear it down!
Why is this important?
Captain Cook symbolises racial oppression and violence.
James Cook invaded Australia just over 250 years ago. He shot the first Indigenous person who showed any sign of resistance and then claimed possession over the entire nation even though it clearly belonged to the people already there.
Under James Cook's leadership, Australia was declared uninhabited because they did not view Indigenous people as humans. Therefore, murdering, enslaving and raping Indigenous people was legal under Australian law.
What followed was over 250 years of genocidal activities and policies based on that murdered, enslaved and oppressed thousands of women, men and children.
What James Cook did in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and others should be condemned in our history so that we can begin to heal from our shameful past. Cook should no longer be celebrated with a prominent statue.
[1] - https://www.sbs.com.au/news/anti-racism-activists-in-the-uk-are-targeting-murderer-captain-cook-statues
[2] - https://www.toppletheracists.org/
[3] - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/magazine/how-to-pull-down-a-statue.html
