On Saturday The BFD published a guest post Open Letter to Hamilton Council over Statue Removal. Below is Hamilton City Council’s response to that letter.
Hamilton City Council has removed the bronze statue of Captain Hamilton from Civic Square after a formal request from Waikato-Tainui.
The request comes after a growing international drive to remove statues which are seen to represent cultural disharmony and oppression.
The bronze statue of Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton was originally gifted to Hamilton City by the Gallagher Group in 2013. The statue’s removal was supported by the Gallagher family while discussions are under way on its future.
The decision to remove the piece was finalised after it became clear the statue could become the focus of heightened activism following weeks of international unrest and turmoil.
Council is taking the opportunity to look at the long-term plan for this artwork and determine where it should fit in to the city’s future.
We also decided to remove it due to public safety concerns. If the statue were to be forcefully removed from its current position, it could severely undermine the integrity of the building below it.
Kind regards,
Hamilton City Council
What do you think of the response dear readers? I can tell you right now what the long term plan is. They will hide it in storage until the fuss is long forgotten and then they will get rid of it.
I wonder what they will do if a ” formal request for removal” of any Maori historical artwork is received from any non-Maori groups because they ” represent cultural disharmony and oppression”?