A statue of Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell which was due to be removed today has been given a brief respite - after angry locals gathered to protect it.
The monument was set to be put into storage because of Baden-Powell's sympathy for Hitler.
Officials in Poole, Dorset, had opted to move the controversial monument amid concerns it could be targeted by protesters.
Anti-racism campaigners have called for statues of slave traders, colonialists and fascist sympathisers to be taken down following the killing of George Floyd in the US.
But it has now been postponed after a large crowd gathered to repel workers from taking it away.
Liberal Democrat-run Poole council said the statue of Baden-Powell would be put in storage after it is taken from its location on the quay of the seaside town.
He had famously described Hitler's Mein Kampf as a "wonderful book" and praised the ideas put forward by the German fuhrer.
Council leader Vikki Slade said: "Whilst famed for the creation of the Scouts, we also recognise that there are some aspects of Robert Baden-Powell's life that are considered less worthy of commemoration."
But the crowd had other ideas.
Former Queen's Scout Len Bannister, 79, who was guarding it this morning, said: "If they want to knock this down - they'll have to knock me down first."
He told ITV News: "It's absolutely crazy. Who's it that actually wants to do it? I'll fight them off."
Independent councillor Mark Howell told The Sun: "The contractor was due to remove it on a temporary basis for it's own protection but they didn't want to work in a media circus.
"It will not happen today."
Tory MP Sir Robert Syms has also opposed the move, posting on Twitter : " For the avoidance of doubt I am opposed to the permanent removal of the statue of Baden-Powell from Poole Quay."
In a poll in 2007, Baden-Powell was voted the 13th most influential person in the United Kingdom in the 20th century.
But critics say he held racist views and was a supporter of Adolf Hitler and fascism.
In 1939 he wrote in his diary: “Lay up all day. Read Mein Kampf.
“A wonderful book, with good ideas on education, health, propaganda, organisation etc.”
His statue, has been in place for about 10 years, currently looks across the harbour to Brownsea Island where he started the scout movement in 1907.
A spokesman for the Scouts said the organisation was looking forward to discussing the matter with the council "to make an informed decision on what happens next".
"The Scout movement is resolute in its commitment to inclusion and diversity and members continually reflect and challenge ourselves in how we live our values," he said.
Statues across the UK are being looked at following anti-racism protests.
On Sunday, protesters in Bristol pulled down a statue of 17th Century slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into the harbour.
It was retrieved this morning and the local council said it would be displayed in a museum.
Councils run by the Labour Party said they would review the "appropriateness of local monuments and statues" on public land.
