Protesters were told to ‘go back to Africa’ at a Black Lives Matter demonstration at a town in England on Monday.
Up to 300 people attended the anti-racism protest at the Clock Tower in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, following a weekend of protests across the UK
Their peaceful protests which was met by angry opposition from a group of largely white men.
Footage shows how counter-demonstrators hurled insults at the group, including one unidentified person who was clearly heard saying “go back to Africa”.
Another man is also seen telling the group to “shut your f****** mouths.”
Reports say that the counter-protest was there to ‘defend’ Hoddesdon’s WWII monument after a Winston Churchill statue was vandalised in central London on Sunday.
Slave trader statue
A statue of a slave owner has been removed by a local authority in London after Labour councils pledged to begin reviewing such monuments in their areas amid anti-racism protests across the country.
The figure of Robert Milligan was taken down from its plinth at West India Quay in the Docklands on Tuesday evening, two days after campaigners tore down a statue of a slave trader in Bristol.
The removal of the Milligan statue paves the way for a “wider conversation about confronting this part of our history and the symbols that represent it”, the Tower Hamlets mayor said.
Earlier on Tuesday the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Labour group said that after consulting with all Labour council leaders there was “overwhelming agreement” to listen to and work with local communities “to review the appropriateness of local monuments and statues on public land and council property”.
It followed a similar decision by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, after his office announced that the newly formed Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm will review landmarks in the capital, including murals, street art, street names, statues and other memorials.
Tweeting a video of the moment the Milligan statue was taken down, Mr Khan said: “It’s a sad truth that much of our wealth was derived from the slave trade – but this does not have to be celebrated in our public spaces.”
Related – Tory councillor calls slave trader a ‘hero’ after Bristol statue toppling
Watch video below (caution distressing footage)