The leader of Edinburgh Council has hit out at racists as the city’s slavery review comes to an end.
Councillor Adam Mcvey spoke out on Twitter as the public consultation on the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review comes to an end next week.
The council has led the review into the city’s historical connections with colonialism and slavery and any possible racial injustices that continue into the modern times.
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However, Cllr Mcvey decided to speak out ahead of the consultation closing next week on January 19 to register his support for Sir Geoff Palmer, who was appointed the independent chair to lead the review, and to urge the public to take part before it closes.
He said online: “I utterly condemn the appalling abuse/nonsense/racism I’ve seen thrown at Sir Geoff Palmer and the review group.
“The City of Edinburgh Council stands behind this independent review and I look forward to its recommendations. Consultation closes Wednesday so please give your views”.
The council decided upon the review in the summer of 2020 as the Black Lives Matter movement swept the globe.
They immediately decided on a set of actions to “address historic racial injustice and stem modern day discrimination.”
Thereafter, they decided on the review to create a better future for the city, free from prejudice.
Some locals have been unhappy at the likes of the Dundas monument in Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square being removed, with historian Sir Tom Devine also recently criticising the process for its secrecy and cost.
Meanwhile Sir Geoff Palmer recently branded Professor Jonathan Hearn of Edinburgh University as an “academic racist” after he published an article labelling the review “superficial”.
Locals now have until Wednesday (January 19) to have their say and contribute to the discussion on Edinburgh council’s online portal.
The council webpage explains why they want the public to take part.
It says: “The Review Group wants to hear your thoughts about the most constructive ways that the city could address issues of historic racial injustice as a means to stem modern-day discrimination.
“It is also seeking views about a selection of prominent features in the public realm including monuments, street names and buildings, which it considers representative of the many aspects of Edinburgh life and society shaped by the city’s legacy of slavery and colonialism.
“In addition to this online consultation, the Review Group is working with schools across the city and hosting discussion sessions with Edinburgh-based community groups directly impacted by this legacy in the present.
Edinburgh University also decided to review their own connections with the slave industry last year, while the Scottish National Gallery of Scotland pledged to review its entire collection.
