COPENHAGEN (DENMARK) – A majority of Greenland residents favour retaining the statue of Danish-Norwegian coloniser Hans Egede that was vandalised in anti-racism protests, according to the results of a vote on Wednesday.
During the protests last month, the word ‘decolonise’ was written on the statue with red paint.
According to critics, the statue of Egede in the capital city of Nuuk symbolises oppression by former colonial ruler and some want the statue to be moved to a museum.
According to the poll, 923 people want the statue to remain while 600 want it gone, said municipal authorities.
Greenland was under Danish colonial rule until 1953, when it became a formal part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Today, it is autonomous although it has to depend on Copenhagen for grants.
Popularly known as the Apostle of Greenland, Egede, travelled there in 1721 to evangelise the Inuit indigenous people. His stay marked the beginning of Danish colonial rule. But it was not brutal compared to other European countries.
“It does not surprise me that there is a majority for the statue to stay, but that does not mean we should do nothing, because there is still a large minority who wants it removed,” Greenlandic lawmaker Aaja Chemnitz Larsen said.
In the poll which was conducted from July 3 to 21, 23,000 of Greenland’s 56,000 people were eligible to take part. Lack of publicity and summer holidays affected the turnout.
Whether or not the statue would remain is to be decided by the local council. Nuuk mayor Charlotte Ludvigsen said it would require a majority of 75% favouring the removal of the statue for her to proceed.
Egede was instrumental in founding Nuuk, which was formerly known as Godthab, which means Good Hope. He evangelised a large number of Inuit, but many of them perished because of small pox. Following the death of his wife, also from smallpox, Egede returned to Denmark in 1736.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
