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Toppling statues: When should they come down?

Violent clashes in Charlottesville have intensified the debate about the statues commemorating Confederate leaders. Owen Bennett-Jones and guests discuss what should be done

The violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia - which left one woman dead and many others injured - have intensified the debate about the hundreds of statues and plaques commemorating Confederate leaders right across the United States.

So, what is the best way to remember troubled history? Should monuments be re-named, removed or ignored? Does pushing for more removals risk inflaming the identity politics at the root of the clashes in Charlottesville?

Plus - what parallels are there with the UK, where events in the US have renewed debate about the many monuments to historical figures in Britain? Owen Bennett-Jones and a panel of guests debate what should be done about statues that offend.

(Photo of the statue of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, in Charlottesville, Virginia by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Sat 26 Aug 2017 11:06GMT

Contributors

John Davidson, a conservative writer for The Federalist

Bonnie Greer, an American columnist for The New European newspaper

Professor Llewelyn Morgan, a lecturer in Classics at Oxford University

Also:

Tracy Lee Crittenberger, great-great granddaughter of General Robert E. Lee

Matthew Evans, a Camp Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans

Broadcasts

  • Fri 25 Aug 2017 08:06GMT
  • Fri 25 Aug 2017 17:06GMT
  • Fri 25 Aug 2017 23:06GMT
  • Sat 26 Aug 2017 03:06GMT
  • Sat 26 Aug 2017 11:06GMT

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