One of last Lenin statues smashed

AFP ^ | April 6, 2004

[Tailgunner Joe]

ONE of the few remaining statues of Vladimir Illich Lenin in St Petersburg, the city that formerly bore his name, was pulled down and smashed by persons unknown, police said on Tuesday.

The statue of the founder of the Soviet Union was toppled and broken into several pieces in the St Petersburg suburb of Pushkin, they said.

After the Russian revolution of 1917, the former imperial capital was renamed Leningrad, but reverted to St Petersburg after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Although many of the thousands of statues of Lenin erected throughout the country still remain, there are very few in St Petersburg.

A recent opinion poll carried out by the Romir agency found that almost two thirds of respondents considered that Lenin had played a positive role in the country's history.

[xp38]

Her name was Krupskaya. Here she is looking morose.

[Andy from Beaverton]

Here she is looking morose.
Wouldn't you if your spouse had another lover that everyone knew about?

[Andy from Beaverton]

Are you serious? Where in Seattle? Do you want to take it down??? Road trip!

[SoCal Pubbie]

I thnk a better statement could be made by covering that statue of Lenin in Seattle with stickers from McDonalds, Starbucks, Wal Mart, Target, Apple, Microsoft, Coke, Pepsi, etc. In other words every symbol of capitalism possible. Where possible use examples from modern Russia- a McDonald's logo in Russian would be perfect.

[Ann Archy]

My husband told me that Fremont, a suburb of Seattle WASHINGTON...USA has a statue of LENIN!!! DISGUSTING!

[Publius]

The statue is located in Fremont, a neighborhood of Seattle. It's a bohemian place, the home of some fine ethnic restaurants and the best brewpubs in town. It's also the home of statuary, including "Waiting for the Interurban", which is not on the street where the Seattle-to-Everett interurban ran from 1911 to 1940.

The Lenin statue was purchased by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce when the Soviet Union had its going-out-of-business-sale a decade ago. The Chamber intended it as a conversation piece and a trophy of the Cold War. Think of it as a large bronze coonskin nailed over the fireplace.

The residents of Fremont, however, take it quite seriously, as befits a festive slice of Berkeley transported to the Pacific Northwest.

When Iraq fell, I wrote the Chamber suggesting they buy a Saddam statue to add to their collection. If nothing else, it would make a matched set.

[dougherty]

Why destroy the statue? We have plenty of leftists here in America that would have loved to give that statue a home. In the name of capitalism, they should have sold it some leftie here in America. Also, they could have had that dead communist's body that is on display and had it stuffed to go along with the statue.

[Andy from Beaverton]

When Iraq fell, I wrote the Chamber suggesting they buy a Saddam statue to add to their collection.
Brilliant! Did they respond???

[Publius]

Never got a response, unfortunately. I still like the idea, though.