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A crane hoists the sculpture of Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton from the city square after requests from Maori and threats from anti-racism protesters to topple it. /AFP
The New Zealand city of Hamilton on Friday tore down a statue of the colonial military commander after whom it was named, joining a growing list of places worldwide that are reckoning with their past.
A crane hoisted the bronze sculpture of Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton from the town square after local Maori requests and threats from anti-racism protesters to topple it.
Hamilton City Council acknowledged the statue's extraction was part of a push to remove memorials, which were seen to represent cultural disharmony and oppression sparked by global anti-racism protests.
Anti-racism protesters had vowed to tear it down at a demonstration this weekend, with activist Taitimu Maipi labeling Hamilton a murderer.
Hamilton was a naval commander who fought indigenous Maori defending their land against British colonial expansion in the 19th century.
The statue was donated to the council in 2013, and the council said its removal came after a formal request from the regional iwi or tribe, Waikato-Tainui.
For the past two weeks, the police killing of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man, and the scale of protests in the U.S. have sparked thousands of people around the world to focus the same matters in their own countries.
(With input from agencies)
