Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Statue of former Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie destroyed in London park

Published:Thursday | July 2, 2020 | 2:54 PM
Haile Selassie was Ethiopia's last emperor - Contributed photo

A statue of former Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie has been destroyed in a park in Wimbledon, south-west London.

Police are investigating the incident, which took place in Cannizaro Park on Tuesday evening.

The damage to the bust was carried out by a group of around 100 people, according to an eyewitness.

It appears to be linked to unrest in Ethiopia sparked after a popular singer, Hachalu Hundessa, was shot dead earlier this week.

Demonstrations following his death saw a statue of royal prince Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael, the father of Selassie, Ethiopia's last emperor, torn down in the city of Harar in eastern Ethiopia.

Many ethnic Oromos say they were oppressed under Haile Selassie's reign and their language and traditional religion were banned.

Hachalu's songs focused on the rights of Ethiopia's Oromo ethnic group and he had been a prominent voice in anti-government protests that led to a change in leadership in 2018.

Source: BBC

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.