And this is why I don’t read that puerile rag people here love to quote from.
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You can’t deny that the writer has a point. We all too easily accept the history we are handed down, so it’s good to hear some of the hidden facts.
Tearing down much loved landmarks isn’t such a good idea, but maybe people should be told more about the characters they represent.
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She doesn’t have a point, she is typically an anti white racist like Diane Abbot and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
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I’m confused. Are the details she mentions about Nelson (& others) not true? If they are correct then I don’t see any reason to label her in that manner.
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Nelsons column was not erected to commemorate slavery as she suggests, it was to honour him for his contribution in defeating Napoleon. maybe he did have slaves who in his day didn’t but that is in the past and doesn’t justify pulling down his statue. Quite frankly I’m fed up of these leftie liberals bleating on about slavery which occurred over 300 years ago. People have learned from that and moved on. Sadly the Americans are worse with political correctness. Theres no place in modern society for racism and referring to Nelson and others as ‘white’ supremacists is clearly a racist comment, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is far worse and I am surprised she hasn’t faced charges for making racist comments but then she is ‘black’ and a muslim so thats OK, however if you or I made the same comments about blacks we would be arrested and prosecuted.
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I had a read Lee and digested part of it … and the whole thing just makes me sigh inwardly.
Apparently Afua Hirsch according to Wikipedia, was born in Stavanger , Norway … to an English father, and Ghanian mother. Now she is half Ghanian; so has a vested interest in writing about racism and slavery.
( well maybe not vested interest - but you can see why)… heritage. And before anyone says it, i don’t personally care what her heritage is. She is also a barrister and human rights lawyer ?
Maybe the Guardian, in allowing her “column”; just wanted to do it for purposes of people logging into their website for page counts…who knows.
So they let her, have her leash. I would agree, possibly she has a point…but for what purpose/motivation. I sounds like she just wants to cause a fuss; and legally shove her agenda into peoples faces.
I personally treat people as they treat me, and do not need to be taught what is racism and what is not.
haha …it reminded me of something. I love the Scots anthem at rugby matches - “Flower of Scotland”…but do not treat it as racist against the English, even though they sing it as often as they can 
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I like the Scots anthem, but then my other half is a Scot, not her fault though as I keep reminding her, accident of birth. 
I like the Welsh one too, I’m part Welsh part Chinese. Hate the English.
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Hi Lee,
It’s an opinion piece. I disagree with tearing down the statue, but it’s interesting to learn some more history, as Jonathan said.
Agree with you that we need to be careful and not destroy our heritage but learn from it. Otherwise we will be destroying statues of Emperor Augustus in Rome ( might of had a slave or two)
Cheers
Martin
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haha everyone hates the English… and although a quarter Irish…i expect my forefathers could have been French…with a surname like mine.
And i also remember well after leaving the forces, in civvy street i asked someone what their christian name was… and got told they didn’t have one… that was when the whole racism thing hit home.
I asked in that way, because that was how i was brought up, and schooled.
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I don’t hate the English, its the English anthem I hate LOL.
Surely it’s a good thing that in the UK there are newspapers of various political leanings so that different points of view can be aired. Whilst we might not agree with a particular publication’s, or person’s, point of view, there are times when we can learn something from an opposing viewpoint that is to our advantage.
Specifically on the subject of statues and similar monuments, should it not be the case that their erection, maintenance, and indeed removal should be part of the basic democratic process. If the local people wish to put up a statue, or take one down, then if that is the wish of the majority then surely that is what should happen.
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Since when were all slaves black?
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Since it only seems to be the blacks that are complaining. The protesters seem to conveniently forget that ancient Romans, Greeks etc had slaves. In fact the gladiators were mainly slaves so should the Colosseum in Rome be destroyed as it could be said it symbolises slavery.
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I’m actually pleased that people are learning about history and articles such as these provoke debate which can only be a good thing. We could be like the States and have massive PC knee-jerk reactions to events like this - an American Football commentator has been removed from commentating on a game in Virginia this weekend because he has the same name as the Confederate general at the heart of recent troubles, Robert E Lee. The commentator is an Asian American.
No not being silly, its fact.
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The Guardian is one of the few UK newspapers that can lay any claim to independence and objectivity; that it sometimes includes pieces that challenge our prejudices is surely a good thing.
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I’m surprised that Lee has popped up again. In the past his postings have suggested that he doesn’t like to associate with what he considers the “liberal lefties” found on this site. I seem to remember he once complained that he didn’t post often because when he did he was bullied by the lefties. By that I take it to mean anyone who gainsayed him.
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You’re quite obviously here to provoke an argument rather than debate in a civil manner to others views.
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I would respectfully disagree, the Guardian is known to be biased toward the left as is the BBC.
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Erm - the BBC most certainly is not.