A new bronze statue of former United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is facing ire of some locals in England, said media reports. Just two hours after installation on Sunday morning, it was subjected to verbal and physical attacks, such as egg throwing and booing. The statue has been placed on a 10-foot granite platform in Grantham, Lincolnshire, which is Thatcher’s hometown, as per the Irish Examiner. Without a ceremony, the statue was placed to avoid any kind of damage to it.
To keep a check on the attacks, the police have put up a temporary barrier around the statue.
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The approval for the building of the statue was given by a planning committee in February 2019 for £300,000 ($367,349). However, the unveiling was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic, as per the outlet.
After installation, some people had also stopped to take selfies. Loud booing could also be witnessed by passing motorists.
The egg-throwing was “absolutely inevitable”, Labour councillor Lee Steptoe told the Guardian.
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“The statue was always going to be a prime target for petty vandalism and political protest. She was the most divisive prime minister probably in history and certainly in my lifetime,” Steptoe said.
The statue was made by the sculptor Douglas Jennings. “Margaret Thatcher will always be a significant part of Grantham’s heritage. She and her family have close ties with Grantham. She was born, raised and went to school here,” Councillor Kelham Cooke, the Conservative leader of South Kesteven council, told the Guardian.
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(With inputs from agencies)
