Vandals deface Lord Nelson statue after it appeared on protestors' hit list as police identify seven of the demonstrators who toppled slave trader Edward Colston's monument in Bristol
- Grade II-listed statue in Norwich was spray-painted by vandals on Saturday
- Naval hero Nelson has been criticised by anti-racists as a 'white supremacist'
- It comes as police identify seven of 18 people believed to have been involved in the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol
Vandals have defaced a statue of Admiral Lord Nelson, Britain's foremost naval hero, in an act thought to have been inspired by Black Lives Matter.
The Grade II-listed monument, which stands in the grounds of Norwich Cathedral, was sprayed with a black 'V' in the middle of a circle - an anarchist symbol.
Nelson became famous for his major successes against France during the Napoleonic Wars and has been long regarded as a heroic figure.
He also has a memorial in London's Trafalgar Square, which is named after the famous 1805 battle, and a statue in Great Yarmouth.
But his monuments have appeared on the Topple The Racists website, which describe the captain as a 'white supremacist, who benefited from racism'.
Nelson believed Britain's colonies in the Caribbean relied heavily on the slave trade and was opposed to the UK abolitionist movement.
It comes as police identify seven of 18 people believed to have been involved in the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.
Vandals have defaced a Grade II-listed statue of Admiral Lord Nelson, Britain's foremost naval hero, in an act thought to have been inspired by Black Lives Matter (left, before; right, after)
It comes as police identify seven of 18 people believed to have been involved in the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol on June 7
A 'hit list' of memorials to some of Britain's most famous figures has been created by an anti-racism group and uploaded to the website Topple The Racists
Police have said that they received reports of the incident yesterday morning and are still at the early stages of their enquiries.
Norwich Cathedral said the damage was done in The Close on Saturday night, and added it was 'committed to reviewing the place of historical figures memorialised'.
A statement said: 'The dean and chapter regret the damage done to the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson on Saturday night. The damage has been reported to the police and to Norwich City Council, which owns and maintains the statue.
'As previously stated, Admiral Lord Nelson, although a national hero, was also like all of us flawed in some ways.
'The Dean and Chapter are committed to reviewing the place of historical figures memorialised in the Cathedral and in our grounds and to hosting conversations about what we have to learn from past wrongs.
Share this article
Nelson became famous for his major successes against France during the Napoleonic Wars and has been long regarded as a heroic figure
But Nelson has been criticised by anti-racism protesters as a 'white supremacist'
A paint-spattered statue of Nelson at Deptford Town Hall in south-east London on June 11
The statue of Edward Colston is pulled out of the harbour by Bristol City Council on June 11
'Recognising that we as human beings are all created in the image of God and of equal value, we are absolutely committed to making sure that all people in our society are treated with dignity and respect.
'We need to pay attention to the wrongs of the past and we need to work together to put right the many wrongs in our world today.'
Norwich City Council said its contractors were assessing the damage to the monument to see what options were available.
His statue at Deptford Town Hall in south-east London had red paint thrown on either side of it in June, as anti-racism protesters targeted the naval hero.
The bronze Colston memorial was pulled down during a Black Lives Matter protest on June 7 before being dumped in Bristol Harbour.
No arrests were made at the time but officers reviewed CCTV footage and other digital media to isolate images of 18 people they wanted to speak to.
Three of the 18 were identified before Avon and Somerset Police launched a public appeal - publishing an online gallery of 15 images - two weeks ago.
The gallery has since been viewed 22,515 times, with 59 calls received from members of the public providing information and 19 anonymous reports via Crimestoppers.
As a result of the reports and other inquiries, officers have identified four more people - leaving 11 of the 18 still to be traced.
Six of those identified voluntarily attended a police station to be interviewed, while a 24-year-old man, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, was arrested last week and later released under investigation.
A 27-year-old man was also arrested last week and was released with no further action taken after co-operating with officers, police said.
Detective Superintendent Liz Hughes, of Avon and Somerset Police, described the public's response as 'fantastic'.
'We fully appreciate the incident continues to divide public opinion and we'd like to once again reassure everyone we're carrying out a thorough, fair and proportionate investigation, and the whole range of criminal justice outcomes remain available to us in relation to those responsible for causing the damage,' she said.
'We continue to liaise regularly with our partners in the Crown Prosecution Service and Bristol City Council, which has provided an evidential statement at our request.'
Officers have continued to analyse the 'large amount of digital evidence available' and have found better quality images, she said.
'We're now seeking the public's help once more to identify the remaining 11 people we'd like to speak to and have added the clearer images to our website.
'We'd ask people to take a look at the gallery and contact us if they recognise any of those pictured,' Ms Hughes added.
Scores of statues and memorials, as well as public buildings, pubs and streets have been targeted by anti-racism demonstrators for removal or renaming.
Protests broke out in the UK after the death of black man George Floyd while he was being held in police custody in Minnesota on May 25.
Campaigners linked to the anti-racism movement have called for statues, roads or other monuments which they deem racist to be toppled - with a full list being compiled on the website www.toppletheracists.org.
