UK to Protect Statues From ‘Woke Militants,’ Minister Says

A worker cleans the defaced statue of Winston Churchill, which was spray painted with the words “was a racist,” in London, on June 8, 2020. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The UK government will enact new laws to protect statues in England from attacks by “woke militants” who want to censor the nation’s past, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said on Sunday.

“We cannot—and should not—try to edit or censor our past,” he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. “Any decisions to remove these heritage assets will require planning permission and councils will need to do so in accordance with their constitution, after consultation with the local community.”