Statue of Haile Selassie (Wimbledon)

The Statue of Haile Selassie was a statue of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie that stood in Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon Common, London. The statue was toppled in June 2020.

Statue of Haile Selassie
Completion date1957
MediumSculpture
LocationWimbledon, London

History

During the 1930s, Ethiopia came into conflict with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini who sought to avenge the country for its losses during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1935 Italy invaded Ethiopia, starting the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. As a result of the invasion, Haile Salassie was exiled to the United Kingdom.[1]

During his exiled years, he spent time at the family home of sculptor Hilda Seligman in 1936. He returned to Ethiopia in 1941, and when Seligman's home was demolished in 1957, she installed the bust in Cannizaro Park.[2]

The statue was a popular attraction and pilgrimage site for follows of the Rastafarian movement.

Removal

During the George floyd protests, a number of statues and monuments were removed, however the statue is believed to have been destroyed as a reaction to the killing of protest singer Hachalu Hundessa in Addis Ababa.[3][4][5][6]

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See also

References
  1. "Haile Selassie I". Biography. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  2. Matthews, Peter (2018-02-22). London's Statues and Monuments: Revised Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78442-258-5.
  3. "Haile Selassie statue destroyed in London park". BBC News. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  4. "Statue of former Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie destroyed". Voice Online. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  5. "London police probe destruction of Haile Selassie statue". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  6. Magazine, Tadias. "UPDATE: Ethiopia to Restore Toppled UK Bust of Emperor Haile Selassie at Tadias Magazine". Retrieved 2020-08-09.

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