Statue of Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell back on display after target list threat
Protective boarding around the monument in Dorset is removed after activists had highlighted his links to the Nazis.
Wednesday 8 July 2020 22:25, UK
A statue of Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell that was placed on a target list is back on display after its protective boarding was removed.
A local council announced in June that the monument in Poole Quay in Dorset would be temporarily taken down in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests.
Activists had called for the statue to be removed, highlighting Baden-Powell's associations with the Nazi movement and the Hitler Youth Programme, as well as his role in the military.
The removal was delayed after a crowd of people, including some wearing Scout uniforms, gathered around the monument and said they would protect it.
More than 36,000 people also signed a petition calling for the statue to remain in place.
Vikki Slade, leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, said: "The initial decision to remove the statue was based upon the risk to public safety, and to the statue itself and was only ever intended as a temporary measure.
"Our advice is that the risk is now minimal and we have decided to remove the protective hoarding."
She added: "We are actively working with the Scout Association to consider how best to reflect the wider aspects of the life of Lord Baden-Powell but do intend to retain it in its place overlooking Brownsea Island to reflect the strong links with Scouting and the positive impact on the lives of children all over the world."
The World Organisation of the Scout Movement defended the statue, saying that Baden-Powell - who was born in 1857 - lived in a "different era with different realities".
It added that the scouting movement he created more than 113 years ago now involves 54 million people across 224 countries and territories.
"Scouting offers an inclusive environment to bring young people of all races, cultures and religions together, and creates opportunities for dialogue about how to promote peace, justice and equality," the organisation said.
"The movement that was founded in 1907 on Brownsea Island stands strong in its promotion of diversity and inclusion which are cornerstones of scouting's values, while denouncing all forms of racism, discrimination, inequality and injustice."
Bear Grylls, the UK's chief scout, said the movement should acknowledge the failings of its founder, adding: "We also recognise that Baden-Powell is part of our history, and history is nothing if we do not learn from it."