The Diplomat
The Government has replied to a parliamentary question posed by the Popular Group that the Spanish Embassy in the UK is in contact with both the British authorities and the owners of the statue of Columbus that was vandalised in London on 12 October so that it can be restored and that it will also enjoy greater police protection.
Activists from the group Extinction Rebellion sprayed red paint on the statue of Christopher Columbus in Belgrave Square to call on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to remove it in solidarity with indigenous peoples.
After this incident, according to a parliamentary reply, “the Spanish Embassy in London immediately contacted the British authorities and brought the incident to the attention of the police, requesting a greater police presence to prevent further vandalism of the statue”.
Given that the statue does not form part of the heritage of the Spanish Public Administration, diplomatic sources explained to Europa Press, “its protection and custody corresponds to the current owner of the statue” and so the Embassy “has urged the current owners of the sculpture to return it to its original beauty, defending its historical and artistic value against third parties”.
In their question, PP deputies Valentina Martínez and Pablo Hispán also expressly asked the government, following this incident, to clarify the measures it is taking “to put a stop to this type of action and protect Spain’s historical legacy”.
In this regard, in its response, the government assures that it is “working together with all the countries of Ibero-America and the Caribbean, with the aim of continuing to build the appropriate framework for intensifying relations of friendship and cooperation, always based on respect and equality, which will allow us to face present and future challenges with a shared vision of the past”.
“The Spanish government always defends Spain’s image abroad, as well as the interests of our country and its citizens”, the response reiterated, after a series of actions similar to the one in London against Spain’s legacy and criticism of colonisation by Latin American leaders in recent years, with the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, at the forefront.
