No Leeds statues linked to slave trade, review finds

The words "murderer" and "racist" were sprayed on the statue of Queen Victoria in Leeds in June

A city-wide review of statues in Leeds has not identified any of individuals who were central to the slave trade.

The review was commissioned in response to the Black Lives Matter protests and the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

It did, however, identify a "degrading" frieze in Park Row depicting "an African lifting a bale".

The panel also felt that the city's statues "over-celebrated Empire, Christianity and 'great' white men".

The review was led by Leeds' first black councillor Alison Lowe and was announced the day after a statue of Queen Victoria in Woodhouse Moor was sprayed with graffiti including the words "murderer" and "slave owner".

A frieze on the former West Riding Union Building depicts "an African lifting a bale"

The report stated: "The current statuary of Leeds research (to date) has not identified any individuals who were central to the slave trade - even if many were the beneficiaries of hereditary wealth and colonialism more broadly.

"This is due at least partly because Leeds is not a port and did not rely on, or benefit substantially from, either sugar or cotton industries (with the notable exception of Harewood House)."

However, it said the frieze on the former West Riding Union Building "is considered degrading of black people and is also thought to celebrate Leeds's colonial past".

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A public consultation carried out as part of the review concluded there was "no majority desire to remove any of the existing statues in Leeds".

The report made a series of recommendations, including asking the owners of the Park Row building to consider erecting a plaque "outlining the history of the building as a former bank with links to the slave trade".

It also recommended commemorating the Abolition of Slavery Act on Yorkshire Day 2021 and commissioning works of art that commemorate the "varied contributions of the diverse citizens of Leeds".