Plans have been approved to remove a slavery information plaque under Edinburgh’s Melville Monument dedicated to Henry Dundas after a battle from his descendants to get rid of it.
The brass plate, which was added following Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations claimed delays to abolition advocated by the politician resulted in “more than half a million enslaved Africans crossing the Atlantic.” A group, which includes members of the Dundas family, said the plaque’s wording is “cartoonishly inaccurate” and added it was “hurtful to our family.”
They lodged a planning application with the council in a bid to get rid of it – which was approved by councillors on Wednesday. However, they need to get the go-ahead from owners of the buildings around St Andrew Square – who have ownership of the monument – before it can be taken down.
