LETTER: Statue lynch mobs lack direction
Derided in today’s materialistic world, the philosophy and purpose of the Boy Scouts will survive
In response to Adam Habib’s article, the “lynching” of statues provides an opportunity to investigate what the originals actually did (“Angry activism needs to be balanced by public deliberation (https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2020-06-25-adam-habib-angry-activism-needs-to-be-balanced-by-public-deliberation/)”, June 25). For example, I understand that the Poole Harbour statue of Lord Baden-Powell in Dorset, UK, is now in protective custody as alleged racism and proximity to water makes it vulnerable. Erected for the centenary of the first Scout camp, it looks towards Brownsea Island, where this took place.
Baden-Powell might have become just another retired colonel had he not to some extent engineered the siege of Mahikeng. During the course of 217 days, his leadership exploits were sensationalised in the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper as “The Wolf that never sleeps”, by the world’s first female war reporter, Sarah Wilson, Winston Churchill’s aunt. The over-the-top Lond...
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