Tags appeared on Sunday on a statue of King Leopold II at the Wiertz Square in Namur.
The words “Who is tired?”, “King of Thieves” and “Stop racism sexism,” written in pink, could be seen on the statue. No-one claimed responsibility for the act.
"I do not know who committed this act, or even by virtue of which demand,” commented Namur Mayor Maxime Prévot (cdH). "It’s lamentable to be taking it out on public monuments once again.”
“That never benefits the authors or the cause they claim to serve,” Ms. Prevot said. “We shall do what is necessary to clean the statue as quickly as possible.”
The former Belgian monarch has been criticised for the crucial role he played in the colonisation of the Congo and some cities have decided to withdraw his statues from public places, as Leuven recently did.
For its part, Belgium has opened a debate on the memory of its colonial past.
The Brussels Times
