Petition · past parliament
Do not prosecute the desecration of Edward Coulston's statue.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Instruct the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute those who desecrated the statue of Edward Coulston, and do not waste public resources investigating the "culprits".
Heed the message of this action and remove all other monuments to White Supremacy and Slavery.
Heed the message of this action and remove all other monuments to White Supremacy and Slavery.
Edward Coulson's statue was a symbol of White Supremacy. It was a symbol to cognitive dissonance and the racist belief that black lives mattered less than those of whites. That charity to whites mattered more than crimes against blacks.
The tearing down this symbol is a message that such ideas are no longer acceptable. It's a clear message that Black Lives Matter and we should remember Edward Coulson as the monster he was and not as a charitable aristocrat with a shady background.
The tearing down this symbol is a message that such ideas are no longer acceptable. It's a clear message that Black Lives Matter and we should remember Edward Coulson as the monster he was and not as a charitable aristocrat with a shady background.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Decisions on whether to arrest and prosecute alleged offenders is a matter for local police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service, not the UK Government or Parliament.
Decisions about individual historical monuments, statues, plaques and street names are a matter for the local authority in which they are located and private landowners, not the UK Government or Parliament.
If you want to raise concerns about a particular historical monument or statue you should contact your local authority about this.
The Local Government Association has published an advice note to help councils work to ensure all sections of the community feel heard by decision-makers and each other: https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/community-safety/statues
We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:
Encourage and support the removal of memorials that glorify the slave trade: Encourage and support the removal of memorials that glorify the slave trade
Create an advisory board to review public statues and decide on their removal: Create an advisory board to review public statues and decide on their removal
Decisions about individual historical monuments, statues, plaques and street names are a matter for the local authority in which they are located and private landowners, not the UK Government or Parliament.
If you want to raise concerns about a particular historical monument or statue you should contact your local authority about this.
The Local Government Association has published an advice note to help councils work to ensure all sections of the community feel heard by decision-makers and each other: https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/community-safety/statues
We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:
Encourage and support the removal of memorials that glorify the slave trade: Encourage and support the removal of memorials that glorify the slave trade
Create an advisory board to review public statues and decide on their removal: Create an advisory board to review public statues and decide on their removal
Timeline
| 8 Jun 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 19 Jun 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
19 Jun 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.