A statue of former Belgian King Leopold II was removed by officials in the city of Antwerp on Tuesday after Black Lives Matter protesters set it on fire.. Panels giving information about Leopold II have also been attached to most of his statues in recent years. // }); In the dead of an April night in 2004, a bronze statue overlooking Ostend’s seafront of a Congolese man gazing up at a horse-mounted King Leopold II was attacked with a … Room clean.bed comfy.shower lacked power or heat. }, 1000); On Tuesday, a bust of former Belgian King Leopold II was defaced in the Flemish city of Ghent, with red paint symbolising blood and a message referring to the death of George Floyd in the United States.Â. // googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); // fetchMarginPercent: 500, [11], On 9 June 2020, Ostend mayor Bart Tommelein said that the city council "takes the fight against racism very seriously" but "replacing or removing statues will not happen". The Belgian city of Antwerp on Tuesday (June 9) confirmed removing a statue of colonial-era leader, King Leopold II. // var adsmobileslot; [10] He used great sums of the money from this exploitation for public and private construction projects in Belgium during this period. Allow religious services with 15 people, Justice Minister... Brussels Park-and-Ride car parks to no longer be... 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Helpful. [1] This was a reference to how Congolese slaves' hands were cut off if they did not produce enough rubber during Leopold's colonial regime. [10], The Equestrian statue of King Leopold II has been vandalised in 2004 and 2020. The ongoing protests may lead to other statues of the king being removed from public spaces and cities across the country. KING LEOPOLD II is the latest historical figure to have a statue of his likeness removed from the public, with Black Lives Matter protests raging on around the world. The Leopold statue in Ghent was vandalised several times in the past and again after Mr Floyd, a handcuffed Black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. Photo: The statue of Leopold II at Troon in Brussels ©EmDee/Wikimedia. A larger-than-life bronze statue of King Leopold II on a horse in central Brussels has become the flashpoint for protests in Belgium about the country’s ugly colonial past. ... “Leopold II was a mass murderer and … Copyright © 2019 The Brussels Times. On Monday, a petition was launched to remove all statues in his honour from the City of Brussels. Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images Related On Wednesday, an internet petition to rid the capital, Brussels, of any Leopold statue swept past 70,000 signatures. [7], The monument is known locally as "De Drie Gapers". Staff pleasent. A statue of King Leopold II in the Belgian town of Antwerp was removed on Tuesday with its long-term future set for a museum, just days after being daubed with paint by anti-racism protesters. // [9] This gives a form of a kind of double L monogram (two L's turned away from each other), the monogram that Leopold II often used. [7][1] The City Council may have hoped to regain the dynasty as summer residents but after Leopold II's death, Ostend's status as a royal summer residence quickly crumbled. Statues of the former Belgian king had already been vandalised or removed in the cities of Halle, Mons, Ostend, … He ruled the Congo Free State in Africa for 23 years. 3,539 Followers, 566 Following, 2 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Statues Leopold II BXL (@statues_leopold2_bxl) // addSize([0, 0], [[300,250], 'fluid']). Yet statues glorifying Leopold II are all over our country. You shouldn't leave Kinshasa without seeing it with your own eyes. // build(); The statue, set … Under Leopold II’s colonial regime, millions of Congolese people died. A statue of Belgian king Leopold II has been removed by local authorities in Antwerp – in a move which a city guide says councils across the world must learn from. A statue of Belgium’s King Leopold II, who became ultra wealthy from the enslavement of Congolese people in the late 19th and early … Tweetable; Facebook; Calls for removal of statues of Leopold II. When I visited, someone had poured white pain over his head. It hasn't been moved since. // renderMarginPercent: 200, Share. // addSize([1100, 200], [[1024,250], 'fluid']). [10] He used explorer Henry Morton Stanley to help him lay claim to the Congo, an area now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The inauguration was on 19 July 1931. She was also related to Marie Antoinette, as well as Kings of Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Poland. A petition to remove such statues is ongoing until 30 June 2020, the 60th anniversary of Congo's independence from Belgium. Lack of reliable sources have made it difficult to form an accurate estimation, but modern estimates range from 1 million to 15 million. He ruled the Congo Free State in Africa for 23 years. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook. // googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); Moeten standbeelden van Leopold II en andere bedenkelijke historische figuren verdwijnen uit het straatbeeld? The statues of Leopold II throughout Belgium have been the subject of scrutiny several times before, with many opponents wanting them all removed. The inauguration was on 19 July 1931. // googletag.enableServices(); , millions of Congolese people died. // mobileScaling: 2.0, Léopold II Statue. 0.2 mi from Leopold II Statue. // addService(googletag.pubads()); The statue has been defaced several times before, but this time, the bust was gagged as well. King Leopold II of Belgium was commemorated here as a benefactor of Ostend and the Belgian Congo. - The statue was vandalized during a protest action amid discussions to remove all Leopold 2 statues due to the misdeeds in his personal property Congo. // addSize([730, 200], [[728, 90], 'fluid']). // var adslot0; The statue was made in Belgium by Thomas Vincotte, in 1928. Share. It hasn't been moved since. Anti-racism protestors in Antwerp, Belgium covered a statue of former King Leopold II in paint. You have to take care of that,” he said. ‘I can’t breathe’: Leopold II statue defaced in Ghent. In recent years, a consensus of around 10 million deaths has been reached among historians. KING LEOPOLD II is the latest historical figure to have a statue of his likeness removed from the public, with Black Lives Matter protests raging on around the world. Unterdessen ist in Ekeren eine Statue von König Leopold II, die überdies in 2023 sowieso verschwinden sollte, in der Nacht zu Donnerstag in Brand gesteckt worden. A long-running campaign to have statues of Leopold II removed, and his name removed from street signs, squares and public transport stops, has been renewed, with more than 60,000 people signing an online petition. // googletag.enableServices(); // var TopMapping = googletag.sizeMapping(). // adslot0 = googletag.defineSlot('/312997750/ATF', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-ad-ATF'). On Monday, a petition was launched to remove all statues in his honour from the City of Brussels. The French Princess. [9] On top in bronze, Leopold II sits in military uniform on horseback looking over the North Sea. The bust of King Leopold II of Belgium, who orchestrated the colonial genocide of 10 million Congolese people, has been defaced by protesters in Ghent, Belgium. [6][7] On 22 September 1981 the statue was declared a protected monument. [9] The monument has an important architectural part that roughly consists of a voluminous upright column, with two horizontal bases on the left and right. A Belgian prince has defended King Leopold II who ruled Congo as a private slave state after anti-racism protesters defaced his statues. Protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd have plunged the US into chaos and spread over to countries across the world, … // addService(googletag.pubads()); Panels giving information about Leopold II have also been attached to most of his statues in recent years. The king ruled from 1865 to 1909. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook. Leopold II (Dutch: Leopold Lodewijk Filips Maria Victor; French: Léopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor; German: Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor; 9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909 and, through his own efforts, the owner and absolute ruler of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. The city then pulled the statue down. Motels near Statue de Leopold II, Mons on Tripadvisor: Find 912 traveler reviews, 4,037 candid photos, and prices for motels near Statue de Leopold II in Mons, Belgium. Statues of Leopold II should now be housed in museums to teach Belgian history, suggests Mireille-Tsheusi Robert, director of anti-racism NGO Bamko Cran. [1], The statue was vandalised in 2020 as part of the global Black Lives Matter movement after the death of George Floyd. Mobutu removed the statue and placed it in his private garden, on Mount Ngaliema. The statues of Leopold II throughout Belgium have been the subject of scrutiny several times before, with many opponents wanting them all removed. Monument to a Cruel King. It is by far the most significant statue of the city. Read more: Statue protests reignite focus on Britain's slave trading past. J'ai lu les arguments de chacun, et je regrette que de part et d'autre, on manque de recul et de nuances. // googletag.cmd.push(function() { Also this week, regional … On Monday, a protest against racism took place in Ghent, with about 500 attendees who gathered on the Sint-Pietersplein in the city, while respecting the social distancing measures, reports Het Nieuwsblad. [7][8] The middle of the three passages was made on the sea side. This monument stands in tribute to Leopold II, the king of Belgium known in equal measures for being the builder king and for his "harsh administration" of the Congo. // googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); Leopold statues have been defaced. [6] Sculptor Alfred Courtens (1889-1967), was commissioned, together with his brother, the architect, Antoine Courtens (1899-1969). // googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); // Lack of reliable sources have made it difficult to form an accurate estimation, but modern estimates range from 1 million to 15 million. For thousands of years, that territory had been conquered by nearby Netherlands, France, Germany, and Luxembourg. Perhaps, in Casement’s honoured memory, our MEP’s should be the first to raise their voices in support of Tracy Bibo-Tansia in demanding the removal of such statues, or call for the removal of the parliament from Brussels. [1] King Leopold II of Belgium was commemorated here as a benefactor of Ostend and the Belgian Congo. All Rights Reserved. // }); The Reading / Listening - King Leopold II Statue - Level 2. King Leopold I’s first wife, and the mother of Leopold II, was Louise-Marie of Orleans, the second-born child of King Louis-Philippe of France. // var adslot0; In the wake of questions surrounding statues honouring Confederate generals in the US, many in Belgium are suggesting that similar monuments to colonising king Leopold II be taken down. 3,539 Followers, 566 Following, 2 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Statues Leopold II BXL (@statues_leopold2_bxl) And not just Leopold himself. The Reading / Listening - King Leopold II Statue - Level 2. // defineSizeMapping(TopMapping). // adslot0 = googletag.defineSlot('/312997750/Super_Billboard_1', [[970, 250], [1230, 250]], 'div-gpt-ad-1555597002018-0').setTargeting("test","infinitescroll"). Post this . Others believe that the statues should be removed because Leopold II was representative of the country’s violent colonial past. 56978: Object location: 51° 13′ 37.74″ N, 2… After the First World War, the city government started work on plans for a statue. // addSize([980, 200], [[970,90], [970,250], 'fluid']). [10] He donated the private buildings to the state before his death. [2][3][4][5], While Leopold was alive, Thomas Vinçotte produced a portrait bust which is now in the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken. [1], Leopold was the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State; a private project was undertaken on his behalf. per night. Jeroen Robbe, of the anti-racism group the … Save. // googletag.pubads().enableLazyLoad({ Also this week, regional … A Belgian prince has defended King Leopold II who ruled Congo as a private slave state after anti-racism protesters defaced his statues. Given the reputation of Leopold II, the statue is quite controversial. On Wednesday, an internet petition to rid the capital, Brussels, of any Leopold statue swept past 70,000 signatures. Who was Leopold II … [2][3][4][5] In 2004 an activist group, De Stoete Ostendenoare, symbolically cut off a bronze hand from one of the kneeling Congolese slaves who, as part of the 'Gratitude of the Congolese' group in the monument, honours Leopold II. The statue has been defaced several times before, but this time, the bust was gagged as well. The statues of Leopold II throughout Belgium have been the subject of scrutiny several times before, with many opponents wanting them all removed. “The statue is in fact part of our historical heritage. [9][1] On the right, a pendant, depicting "Tribute of the Ostend fishing population". They were the very first royal family of Belgium, because the country was just 5 years old. Free cancellation. A statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into a river in Bristol, England, amid worldwide anti-racism demonstrations. The statue is in the middle, on the left-hand side of the National Museum of the Congo. Share. Léopold II Statue. Leopold eventually ceded the territory to Belgium in 1908 but it was another 52 years before Congo regained its independence. [1] The activists were willing to give the hand back if a historically correct sign would be placed near the statue. Share. A statue of King Leopold II in Antwerp, Belgium, that was vandalized during recent anti-racism protests was removed by city officials on June 9 and taken away to be “restored,” reports said. "Leopold II certainly does not deserve a statue in the public domain," agrees Bambi Ceuppens, scientific commissioner at the Africa Museum. macedonboy wrote a review Sep 2019. // googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();   It was taken down just hours after being re-erected on Thursday. // googletag.cmd.push(function(){ Separately, a statue of King Baudouin - Belgium's second-longest reigning monarch after Leopold II - was found smeared bright red in a park in front … We even have a statue from 1895 called 'Voortvluchtige negerslaven door honden verrast'. More than a century later, Belgium still minimizes or completely ignores the actions of Leopold II, whose family still sits on the royal throne. Ce débat revient régulièrement à la "une" de l'actualité : doit-on enlever ou laisser les statues de Léopold II (et toutes les autres traces de notre passé colonial) dans l'espace public ? As Irish people, we are rightfully very proud of the exposure of Leopold’s cruelty and genocide by Roger Casement. document.body.className = document.body.className + ' mobile-loading'; Not sure why you would bother. [10], Reports of deaths and abuse led to a major international scandal in the early 20th century, and Leopold was forced by the Belgian government to relinquish control of the colony to the civil administration in 1908. [10] At the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, the colonial nations of Europe authorised his claim by committing the Congo Free State to improve the lives of the native inhabitants. Officially, the manifestation was not allowed to continue, but because everyone wore face masks, kept their distance and stayed calm, the authorities did not intervene. English: Statue of Leopold II (1931) by Alfred Courtens (1889-1967) and Antoine Courtens (1899-1969). [10], Leopold extracted a fortune from the Congo, initially by the collection of ivory, and after a rise in the price of rubber in the 1890s, by forced labour from the natives to harvest and process rubber. It is not clear if the bust was defaced as a part of the protest. The city then pulled the statue down. // googletag.cmd.push(function(){ Statue in Ostend. A defaced statue of Leopold II was taken down in Antwerp on Monday and, on Wednesday, the dean of Belgium’s leading university, KU Leuven, was asked in an open letter to take down a statue of Belgium’s colonial king from the university library. [10] Under his regime millions of Congolese people died. image caption A statue of King Leopold II in Antwerp was set on fire and painted red People in Belgium are calling for statues of the country's longest-reigning king, Leopold II, to be dismantled. ", "Dit zijn de organisatoren van de Belgische Black Lives Matter-betogingen", "Hoe Oostendse activisten met een afgehakte hand de puntjes op de i zetten", "Campaign launched by a teenager to remove statues of Congo coloniser Leopold II gains pace in Belgium", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King_Leopold_II_statue_(Ostend)&oldid=989259487, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 November 2020, at 23:33. Their family life was dysfunctional, to say the least. Red paint was also thrown over the rest of the sculpture, as well as the pedestal, reports Het Laatste Nieuws. People participate in celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of … 56978: Object location: 51° 13′ 37.74″ N, 2° 54′ 16.78″ E View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap - Google Earth - Proximityrama: monument of Leopold II in Ostend sculpture by Alfred Courtens. In July 2019, the city placed a sign in the park with the words “The city council regrets the many Congolese victims who died during the Free State” after activists wanted the bust removed, along with all other references, such as street names, to Leopold II and his colonial rule. [6] Confusion surrounds the brief return of a statue of Belgian colonial king Leopold II in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital, Kinshasa. A statue of former Belgian king Leopold II has been removed in the city of Ghent as Belgium marked the 60th anniversary of the end of its colonial rule in the Democratic Republic of Congo. // adsmobileslot = googletag.defineSlot('/312997750/NEW_SITE_MOBILE_TOP_ALL', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-ad-1559116370415-0').addService(googletag.pubads()); „Es ist bereits das zweite Mal in dieser Woche, dass Vandalen die umstrittene Statue des Monarchen ins Visier genommen haben. The price is £59 per night from 29 Nov to 30 Nov £59. In recent years, a consensus of around 10 million deaths has been reached among historians. That’s some serious pedigree! Since then, the bust has been left alone for the most part. A statue of Belgium’s King Leopold II, who became ultra wealthy from the enslavement of Congolese people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was removed by the city of … Le débat sur Léopold II s’était invité suite au retrait d’un buste par l’UMons. [10], From the beginning, Leopold ignored these conditions and millions of Congolese inhabitants, including children, were mutilated and killed. // googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); On Monday. The monument is a equestrian statue and features the king sitting peacefully on his horse at rest. Anti-racism protestors in Antwerp, Belgium covered a statue of former King Leopold II in paint. /AP. document.body.className = document.body.className.replace(/\bmobile-loading\b/g, ""); [9] At the bottom left a larger than life sculptural group, also in bronze, depicting "Thanks of the Congolese to Leopold II for freeing them from slavery among the Arabs". The face of the bust was covered with a canvas with the message “I can’t breathe,” the last words of George Floyd, the black man who died after a white police officer put his knee on his neck for minutes in the United States last week, resulting in protests against police violence across the world. [6], Shortly after Leopold died in 1909, plans started to honour him, as a benefactor of Ostend and the Belgian Congo. On June 9, a statue of Leopold II in Antwerp was removed. A statue of King Leopold II in Antwerp, Belgium, that was vandalized during recent anti-racism protests was removed by city officials on June 9 and taken away to be “restored,” reports said. Mobutu removed the statue and placed it in his private garden, on Mount Ngaliema. A bust of Leopold II in the University of Mons (UMons) will be moved to storage amid mounting cries to take down monuments of Belgium’s colonial king. // }); A long-controversial statue of former Belgian King Leopold II has been taken down after it was set on fire last week during global unrest over the police-custody death of … The movement against racism and injustice is truly global! Noah, a slight teenager wearing jeans and sneakers, is dwarfed by the bronze statue of Belgium's King Leopold II astride a horse. TOPLINE. But he was a big figure in political history and this is his statue. BRUSSELS — A 150-year-old statue of King Leopold II of Belgium, whose forces seized Congo in the late 19th century and ran an exploitative regime … From 1928 to 1966, it remained in the city centre (the city was at that time called "Leopoldville"). The Walloon university took down the statue from its place in the Faculty of Management and Economics on Monday, a day after a massive Black Lives Matter demonstration took place in Brussels. Date of experience: October 2019. 2 Helpful votes. You won't find any statues of Hitler on the streets of Berlin, and apart from a small bust on Red Square Stalin's face has disappeared from the streets of Moscow. //Верхний баннер Tweet this. English: Statue of Leopold II (1931) by Alfred Courtens (1889-1967) and Antoine Courtens (1899-1969). The statue of King Leopold II in the Belgian city of Ostend is located on the Royal Galleries by the beach. (292 reviews) Ideal for a cheap one night stop over "Tired hotel that needs a refurb. pic.twitter.com/MZLlX7eeFZ, — Facts About Africa (@OnlyAfricaFacts) June 3, 2020.   // googletag.enableServices(); A statue of former Belgian King Leopold II was removed by officials in the city of Antwerp on Tuesday after Black Lives Matter protesters set it on fire.. Would i stop again. Glasgow, United Kingdom 146,739 contributions 100,234 helpful votes +1. A statue of Leopold II riding a horse has been defaced in Brussels and a debate has ensued over whether it should be removed or modified by adding billboards to explain the Congo genocide in explicit detail. Today, this garden or park is open to the general public. Hundreds of protestors cheered as workers took the statue off its stand. Under Leopold II’s colonial regime, millions of Congolese people died. Leopold II was born in 1835 to King Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orleans. A statue of Belgian king Leopold II has been removed by local authorities in Antwerp – in a move which a city guide says councils across the world must learn from. Read more. The king ruled from 1865 to 1909. Save. Today, this garden or park is open to the general public. A statue of King Leopold II in the Belgian town of Antwerp was removed on Tuesday with its long-term future set for a museum, just days after being daubed with paint by anti-racism protesters. This is a category about onroerend erfgoed number. Who was Leopold II … The statue of King Leopold II in the Belgian city of Ostend is located on the Royal Galleries by the beach. The culture minister said the statue had been put up as "a trial to see if the concrete could support the weight". They were a newly independent country that had yet to form a unique national identity.Leopold II had two younger siblings called Phillipe and Charlotte. [12], List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests, "Belgians Target Some Royal Monuments In Black Lives Matter Protest", "Al meer dan 16.000 handtekeningen voor petitie om standbeelden Leopold II uit Brussel weg te nemen, Tommelein wil beeld in Oostende niet verwijderen", "Het Debat. // }); Une statue du roi Léopold II, figure du passé colonial belge, a été déboulonnée le 9 juin par la ville d’Anvers. 2. setTimeout(function() { The move comes days after it was defaced by anti-racism protesters. Red paint was also thrown over the rest of the sculpture, as well as the pedestal, reports, The face of the bust was covered with a canvas with the message “, On Monday, a protest against racism took place in Ghent, with about 500 attendees who gathered on the Sint-Pietersplein in the city, while respecting the social distancing measures, reports. // - The statue was vandalized during a protest action amid discussions to remove all Leopold 2 statues due to the misdeeds in his personal property Congo. 29 Nov - 30 Nov. 3.7/5 Good! This is a category about onroerend erfgoed number. TOPLINE. Copy link Statue in Ostend. The removal of King Leopold II's statue took place only hours after Philippe's letter was published. In 2004 one of the hands of a Congolese was cut off, to surface in 2019 with the promise to return the hand as soon as the Belgian Royal Family should excuse for their behaviour during the colonial past. Photo by … 2:41 Breakfast limited choice.but as good as any ive stayed in ostend.