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Petition to: Remove the statue of Robert Clive

This petition is now closed, as its deadline has passed.

We the undersigned petition Westminster City Council to Remove the statue of Robert Clive. More details

Petition update from the council, 21 October 2020

Westminster City Council’s role in relation to the potential removal or repositioning of the statue is limited to the consideration of an application for Listed Building Consent to remove the statue, as it is Grade II listed. The statue is owned by English Heritage under a licence from Historic England which runs until 2023 and therefore the Council has no power to order its removal. Instead, the decision rests with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as the central government department responsible for Historic England.

More details from petition creator

Robert Clive was responsible for the invasion and brutalisation of millions across India and other South Asian countries. Clive looted massive wealth from Bengal. His policies provoked a famine killing an estimated 10 million people. Dalrymple wrote in The Guardian on 11 June: "Robert Clive was a vicious asset-stripper. His statue has no place on Whitehall". This is Westminster City Council's opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to anti-racism and to inspire others.

There are three main reasons to remove the statue:

1. The glorification of a mass murderer and looter in the heart of the nation’s capital is profoundly insulting

2. The location of the statue at the entrance to the FCO tells visitors that the British state condones the murderous activities of Robert Clive. It also tells our civil servants, MPs, and Whitehall staff that they are furthering his work

3. It’s time to improve the education that we receive about the British Empire, which starts with removing a statue that glorifies rather than educates

The council can consult on where to preserve the statue.

Current signatories

Meera Somji, the petition creator, joined by:

Farah Doctor
Alison Finlay
Danielle Rose
Narin Susa Ali
FAVIANA RIOS
Steve Mills
Oliver Scott
Fatima Amin
Etty Ashby
Eshita Kabra
Jonathan Watkins
Maria Bruce Roberts
Dr DL Clements
Shazia Khan Afghan
Paul Stockley
Hannah
Angelika Wilinska
Manuel Moreno
Murad Qureshi
Beverley Ferron
Susanne Kulkies
Prof Sunny Singh
Rakesh Mathur
David Freling
Jonny Baynes
Mariella Brown
Tilda Bickle
Chris Bishop
Karissa Stevenson
Priyanka Kulkarni
Sam Karslake
Christina Goodall
Susan Thomas
Maureen Whyberd
Thea Ridley-Castle
Kanika Agarwal
Allison McKibann
Devaditya Agnihotri
Megha
Phoebe Kluck
Laura Baldwin
Ben Leibowitz
DAVID BIEDA
Neil Taylor
David K.S. Tse
Esther S
Haytham Agabani
Matthew Evans
Hanna
Emma Dhir
Federica Cinardo
Fergus SG
Thomas Hartwright
Rory McNevin
Moira Buffini
Nick Robins
Rachel Newton
Dylan Jamil
Marcus Rowland
Syed Modassar Hussain Naqvi
aaron minto
Angbeen Abbas
Gloria George
Mary
Maren Hobein
Yara Satti
Mark Gilkes
David Roy Bufton
Sethi
Nikhil Venkatesh
christine morris
Mohammed Seghir
Tom Lee
Pratik Jeantilal
Hasna Kahlalech
James Bartlett
Nicholas Wratten
Seamus Kielthy
Belgacem kahlalech
Symmone Cupidore
John Cubbon
Megan Boughton
Sam Child
Saleha Rahal
Nelson
Natasha Kelly
Can Ates
Edie Selsdon
Pamela strangman
Kiyo
Sheera Lakshman
Neale Grant
Davo McConville
Monju Haque
Freddie Carver
Tom Craig
Ayesha Ghulati
Amrita
Viv Pribram
Moa Taylor Hodin
Johanna Stanghon
Jasmine Bascombe
Ronald Walker
Iris Yau FRSA FHEA
Lucy Roberts
Raymond Pye
Isabella Taylor
Charlie Taylor
Fathayha Begum
Dan Hill
Andy B
Sarah Qureshi
Sofia Carreira Wham
Anais Richmond
Elizabeth Brown
Gabrielle N
Judith Southern
Arantxa Gaba
Pratik Moona
Eve Montgomery
Sarah Nicholson
Lukman Ahmed
Azizul Haque
Dr. Naim Al-Shadir
Humayun Khan
Shakeel Patel
Heena Ahmed
Flora Nicholson
Jessica Capon
MOHAMMED MIAH
Nur nur
Andrew Carney
Letitia
Philip McGonigal
Niamh Walker
Erik Moore
Isma S
Naomi
georgia
Papya Qureshi
Paul Dimoldenberg
Louis
Eleanor Rhodes-Davies
scarlett wood
D. Miah
Alexandra Baker
Mohinderpal Gill
Sharron Pillay
Stephen Murphy
Keng Ng
Farzanah Mamoojee
DR M.A.ZAHEER AFRIDI
Ruoxi Huang
Alek Kasanin
Esther Oyeleye
Pauline Diminutto
Ellen Boddy
Adam Clark
Daniel Eyre
Patrick Fadoju
Yaz Al-Yasin
Ahsan Akbar
Abul Khoysor
Yahkub Tiamiyu
jt
Rachel Graham
Alfie Welham
Mariana
Ross Taylor
Mabel
Dr Stanley Ooi
Jodie
Nick Bartlett
Katherine Estdale
Pancho Lewis
Kamil mcclelland
Caroline White
Grazia Mereu
Dr Ado Farsi
Margaret Desmond
Ann Diego
Fenella Overington
John Hamilton
Robert M ODell
Saule
Bipasha Kaur Chatterjee
David Gleeson
Katharine Bracey
Abdul Aziz Toki
Khaled Ahmed Hoque
Abu Sorwar Toki
Nowshin Keya
Jubair Ahmed
Anwara
Shefa
Isobel M
Nisha Patel
Christopher
Sabiha Chowdhury
Shamim Ahmed
Mohammed Kabir Uddin
Prabha Kotiswaran
Sisa Hwalima
Dawne Mckenzie
M. Tennent
Jemila Macauley
Anthony Rickman
Susanne Grieshaber
Dr Ece Kocabicak
Adam Greenland
Yasmin Payind
ASHOK GHOSH
Philip
Sofiya Ben
Nafsika Butler-Thalassis
Aicha Less
Iman
Milly
Noshin Choudhury
Sanam
Iqrah
Aleefa Haque
Iqra Awan
Matt Noble
Abu Bakar Siddique
Shamim Talukder
Toufeek Siddique
MK
Rahima
David Lewis
Dr Sunil Kumar
Johann Koehler
Andrea Mann
Terina Hine
Vanessa Hughes
Liza Begum
Hamza Taouzzale
Gloria Young
Dibyesh Anand
Muhammad Salam
Wilfried Rimensberger
Suel Ahmed
Nuhfa
Taskir Miah
Eleanor Cove
Ishrat Quraishi
Aideen
S Miah
Juthsna Bibi
Nicole Moses
Rachid Hadibi
Toby Jenkinson
Attia Shiraz
Tracie Tull-Peirce
Rebecca Wait
Hannah Williams
Kakoli Kumar
Leah Lazar
Margaret Houston
Peter Morton
Kimberly Tan
Ben Hull
James Crowe
Anne Braithwaite
Paul Andrews
Jamie Tulacz
Cliff Brant
Marguerita McNally
Tony Cutler
Jamie Berridge
Guthrie McKie
Joseph Karp-Sawey
Adelaide Kirby
Yusuf Hussain
Fergus Niven
Nirvasen Moonsamy
Rohit Rao
Mohbub Miah
Paul O'Brien
Muntasir Sattar
Khalida Qureshi
Graeme Cottam
Charlotte Best
JA
mike wohl
Judith Kent
Saima Adeel
Inez Gosine
Charlene Bailey
Paolina Voronova
Maureen Pepper
Julianna Bethlen
Claudia Abbott
Karim Mahmoud
Loraine Hancock
Viviane kumbi
Mary Olivari
Mike Martin
Christine Randell
Sueab Ali
Homayoun Dayani-Fard
Neil
Laura Marrast- Calliste
Tracy Shaw
Annie Lawler
Tristan Bray
Marwa Atiyatallah
Md Abdul Haque Mohsin
Huzur Talukdar
Susan Patricia Wolff
Suhail
Liz Holliday
Umar Hanif
Claire Van Koppen
Rosemary Snelgar
Daniel Silverton-Parker
Udayan
Hazel O'Dell
James Small-Edwards
Hannah Rose
Anna Mei lucas
Daisy Parry
Alice
Gillian Arrindell
Moji
Chris Burnett
M I Hussain
Juliet Shellabear
Ella Bennett
Anubhav Mohanty
Muhammad Eawor Uddin
Mansoor noori