Antwerp Statue of King Leopold II Removed After Being Torched by Protesters

A statue of Belgian King Leopold II was removed Tuesday in Antwerp after protesters painted it red then lit it on fire.

Leopold, who was king of Belgium from 1865 to 1909, oversaw that monarchy’s oppressive rule over Congo. Other statues of Leopold across Belgium—including those in Brussels, Ghent, and Ostend—have been defaced, some bearing George Floyd’s final words: “I can’t breathe.” Belgians have long campaigned to have statues of Leopold removed and plaques bearing his name changed, but recent Black Lives Matter protests have renewed the efforts.

The mayor of Antwerp’s Ekeren district Koen Palinckx, a member of the right-wing New Flemish Alliance, said the statue had been removed for “thorough restoration” and may be returned to its original location, but will likely end up in a museum.