This petition was submitted during the 2019 to 2024 Parliament
Rejected petition Protect Britain's Historic Monuments from Being Removed
Rejected on
The Government should ensure that none of Britain's statues or historic monuments will be removed and that the Edward Colston statue shall be restored. We oppose the Mayor of London's intention to review London monuments and street names. Much is at risk if a policy of Preservation is not adopted.
We are mere custodians of our Heritage and it is our duty to preserve it for the future; statues are works of art and objects of historical significance which should be preserved regardless of context.
The statue of Edward Colston was removed illegally in an act of vandalism and many other have been desecrated. If vandals are allowed to dictate which statues remain and which depart, it sets a dangerous precedent.
The only way to learn from History is to understand it, not to eradicate it.
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not directly responsible for.
Decisions about individual historical monuments, statues, plaques and street names are a matter for the local authority in which they are located and private landowners, not the UK Government or Parliament.
If you want to raise concerns about a particular historical monument or statue you should contact your local authority about this.
The Local Government Association has published an advice note to help councils work to ensure all sections of the community feel heard by decision-makers and each other: https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/community-safety/statues
We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:
Protect all monuments and statues from being taken down: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/325814
Make it a specific offence to desecrate national flags, symbols and monuments: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/325545
Require referendums on the removal of historically significant statues: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/326361
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.