JAKARTA - As the 'Black Lives Matter' movement spreads, the Speaker of the United States (US) Parliament, Nancy Pelosi, called for the removal of eleven statues of slavery figures from the Capitol Building on Wednesday, June 10. Previously, the movement to tear down statues of figures related to racism, discrimination and occupation was carried out by many world citizens. In the US, the statue of Christopher Columbus was a target.
Launching Channel News Asia, in a letter, Pelosi ordered the Capitol Library Joint Commission to remove the eleven statues in question. The statues are figures of the Confederate States of America in the southern region during the Civil War in the 1800s.
"A monument to those who advocate cruelty and barbarism to clearly racist goals is a strange insult to these ideals: American democracy and freedom," wrote the Democrat.
Not only that. Pelosi emphasized two statues that must be removed immediately, namely Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens, who respectively served as President and Vice President of the US Confederation of States who have been charged with treason. He thinks the statues can reopen past memories of cruelty and racism.
"Their statues pay tribute to hatred, not a legacy. They must be removed," added Pelosi.
Pelosi argued that the statues reminded Americans of the nation's dark history. Moreover, Pelosi pointed out that there was once a speech read in 1861 which read: The US Confederation State was founded on the great truth that blacks are not the same as those who are white.
What Pelosi did was nothing new. Previously, the Chairman of the US Congress had the same intention to move the statues in the Capitol Building in August 2017.
"I believe that we will not forget history or repeat it again. But I believe there is no room to celebrate violence based on hatred from Confederate figures," concluded Pelosi.
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