Movement Of Tearing Down Statue Spreads To New Zealand, British Colonizer John Hamilton Became A Target

Statue of John Hamilton in New Zealand (Twitter / @ galottom)

JAKARTA - The movement to tear down statues of symbols of slavery, discrimination and occupation continues to expand. In New Zealand, protesters are urging the government to tear down a statue of the invader who oppressed and killed the 19th century Maori, John Hamilton.

As a result, the government immediately stepped in to secure and lower the statue on Friday, June 12. This is because the wave of BLM actions in New Zealand in the past few days has actually started to mention the past sins of the British colonialists regarding the persecution and murder of the native New Zealand, the Maori.

Launching Reuters, safeguarding the statue of John Hamilton in Hamilton City is a form of having a responsive government to the world situation after the expansion of the BLM movement. Moreover, the day before, a Maori leader threatened to bring down the statue himself if no action was taken.

In #Hamilton, Neuseeland, wurde die Statue von Captain John Hamilton entfernt. Der brit. Offizier starb 1864 im Kolonialkrieg gegen Maori und verkörpert das Unrecht gewaltsamer Landnahme gegen Ureinwohner.https: //t.co/vHlISyY1OQ#protests2020 #freeUSA #Minneapolisprotests pic.twitter.com/VLH16LS5y9

- Dietmar Nix (@galottom) June 12, 2020

"We cannot ignore what is happening around the world and neither should we. As we seek to build intercultural tolerance and understanding in the community, I don't think the statue is helping us bridge that gap, ”said Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate.

Southgate also revealed that with the expansion of the BLM movement, more and more Hamilton residents thought the statue would open a dark history of the Maori tribe. In fact, previously the Maori community has repeatedly asked the government to tear down the statue. To the point, acts of vandalism were carried out in 2018.

However, with the lowering of the statue, there were parties who were not happy. This was indicated by the Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, who considered those who asked to take down the statue as a wave of ignorance.

"A country learns from its mistakes and victories. And the people must have the knowledge and maturity to distinguish the two," he concluded.

In history, it is said that John Hamilton, who is considered to have acted racist and killed the Maori, died in the Battle of Gate Pa. A battle during which the colonial government inherited the Maori people in the 1860s.