Winston Churchill statue boarded up ahead of planned protests in London amid calls to topple 'racist' monuments

“those that want to attack this symbol of freedom and liberty make me deeply ashamed.” Workers were also expected to board up the George Washington statue in Trafalgar Square and other monuments. The protests sparked by the death of Mr Floyd at the hands of a white US police officer ignited a discussion about the UK's imperial past historical figures often associated with slavery and racism. Also on Thursday evening, video showed workers in hard hats scaling Colston Tower in Bristol city centre to remove the controversial figure's name from atop the high-rise building.