Search icon

Football

12th Jun 2020

Should Robert Baden-Powell’s statue be removed?

Fran Golinski Drinkwater

robert baden-powell

Baden-Powell wrote about his admiration for Adolf Hitler

Robert Baden-Powell was a British Army officer and was the founder of the Scout Movement, which seeks to instil children with skills for life through adventure, outdoor experiences and creative and community initiatives.

To many, including former Scouts, Baden-Powell is a hero, someone whose example proved to be of massive import to their lives. Unfortunately, he was also a racist, a homophobe and quite possible a Nazi sympathiser.

It’s because of this discriminatory legacy that critics of Baden-Powell are calling for the removal of a statue of him from the town of Poole. The local council have announced that the statue will be temporarily removed – something which has angered both sides.

Supporters believe that such behaviour is ludicrous for a man they believe did such good, while critics believe it must be removed temporarily due to the dangerous views he held.