And so it begins.....

.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59972806

IMHO.......This was my sole concern after the Coston 4 were acquitted. Whilst it has been asserted that it did not set a precedent, Many 'self righteous' people with a 'cause' will now believe they are vindicated and can take direct action in the interest of the public as they see it. It is clearly documented that the sculptor was a perverted human child abuser with apparently little conscience, but where does it end?
The similarity of the Colston incident is that there has been a campaign( by whom and how many I do not know) to have it removed) so this individual considered his action was justified (as did the Colston 4) and that public opinion would be on his side. However, this statue was not dedicated to the artist or to glorify him, but WAS created by him.
So where does that leave us? Can we, (should we) separate the artist from the art? Do we expunge every work of art, sculpture, painting music and film, TV programmes from bygone eras going back centuries where the artist sculptor or musician is deemed by our society to have been unworthy e.g. Caravaggio? If we were to continue down that censorship path it will be books fiction and non fiction next. 'Fahrenheit 451' suddenly seems not quite so far fetched as it once did.
There was once an outcry when Mary Whitehouse took it upon herself to be the nations conscience as most people felt it was not her place to determine what we could and could not see, as we, as a nation, preferred to make our own minds up, rather than having them made up for us, by individuals or pressure groups.

In the words of Michael Palin in 'Around the World in 80 days' (albeit ina different context) "It will be the tureens next"!

 

What's the world coming to when a publicly funded institution who shielded Jimmy Savile for years can't even have a statue made by a 'perverted human child abuser' to represent its ethos and mission?

World has gone mad, mad I tell you. Next thing you know is they'll be not playing Gary Glitter songs on the radio.... Where will it end?

 

From April 20 to March 21 there were more than 475,000 recorded acts of criminal damage in England and Wales.

Just that.

 

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit! Clearly you are an example of people who cannot distinguish between the art and the person. It is the sculpture and NOT its creator that represents the "Ethos of the institution". You have demonstrated exactly the point I was making in the OP . Can't you see where this could all be heading? Or do you want to be judge.jury and executioner?

 

It doesn't end anywhere. Society and it's attitudes are constantly changing and will continue to evolve. There is nothing in the Colston 4 case that would prevent a successful prosecution of this man (if deemed sane) provided that the Met are not still in hiding, trying to avoid prosecuting the Prime Minister for his unlawful gathering in 2020.

 

I wish I could agree with you. In any case attitudes in society do change but are they necessarily for the better? I would suggest it is a bit of both. I did state in the OP that the vast majority of people would not see teh Colston 4 verdict as a Green light .
Sadly, once again someone has to drag politics into a thread. What has the debacle with BJ and the Met got to do with this particular topic? I am surprised at you Orsen. You used to be one of the more sensible posters.

 

Mate, in all seriousness I mention Boris very deliberately because it is another potential area where the law does not look likely to take it's proper course. It IS connected, because if the leader of the country picks and chooses which rules to obey that is a bit of a green light for a jury to be creative with the interpretation of their role. It is not a cheap political shot, it is part of a background noise against which certain standards are being eroded. The question for society is whether we accept this erosion of standards - and ultimately, the rule of law itself - or whether we seek to revert to a situation where honour and integrity mean a little more than at present.

And I never claimed to be sensible!

 

There are always odd people who will take copycat action like this. I wouldn't extrapolate it to the art armageddon suggested in the OP.

 

Tekky; what are your views on the toppling of statues of Lenin and Stalin and Saddam in the past? Genuinely interested.

 

The statue even looks noncey though.

 

We probably need every council in the country to do a statue census for their area, create a webpage where the voters can read up on the creator and the subject and then vote as to whether they need either tearing down and destroying, removing and displaying elsewhere or leaving in place.

At least that way the public get a genuine say without fear of breaking the law.

 

Why don't we just ban statues? What purpose do they serve in the 21st Century? Surely we should just put up a massive OLED screen and show a picture of who ever we want and if they become unsuitable, just change the picture. If you're posh you could have a hologram. Be difficult to vandalise one of those and easy to change.

 

Statues have a very small carbon footprint compared to video screens etc.
They also provide convenient places for pigeons to **** and young women to hang their knickers on a night out in tarn.

 

God forbid anyone would ever try to topple Dicky!

 

Good point about carbon footprints, but smelting all that bronze must also be pretty un-environmentally friendly, especially when you factor in the the extrication of the raw materials.
Perhaps the screens would only come on when someone actually walked up to it and pressed a button. I think we'd then find that no one actually gives a tuppenny toss about statues/history when the button gets pressed once every 6 months to check it's still working.

 

Or sit on him.

 

There must be some punter who lost money on a key decision he made.​

 

Can’t believe some of the more serious half baked opinions on here !
Sure let’s let anarchy rule and let folk do as they want just cos they don’t like something !
I don’t particularly like statues but I get that some people do, what happens when they get to something where opinion is split? Like I said before' war memorials for instance.
People actually fought and died for the right for future generations to live in a democracy.
Alright this particular sculptor has a repulsive history but there are legal ways and means.
Let folk run loose and rent a mob will be popping up all over.

 

Maybe it's not copycat. Maybe it's triggered something (perhaps the perpetrator experienced CSA)

 

Tbf you've summed it up in a way @Bossman would be proud of!