The Robert the Bruce statue was spray-painted with graffiti calling him a 'racist king'. Credit for photographs: Grant Stobbart
Posted on 06/15/2020 1:31:52 PM PDT by SJackson
The Robert the Bruce statue was spray-painted with graffiti calling him a 'racist king'. Credit for photographs: Grant Stobbart
THE Battle of Bannockburn site was found vandalised yesterday with graffiti branding Robert the Bruce a “racist king” and calling for his statue to be removed.
Images on social media appeared to show markings on the wall at the visitor centre and the statue.
National Trust for Scotland bosses, who operate the centre, said they were “disappointed” by the act.
The general manager for Edinburgh and East, Stuart Maxwell, said: “We are very disappointed by the vandalism of the iconic Bruce statue at Bannockburn and the A listed rotunda.
"This comes at a time when our charity is suffering serious financial hardship and this is a cost we could do without.
"We would like to thank the local community for their support in responding so quickly to this incident.
"A contractor will visit the site this afternoon.”
Other locals branded the vandalism “disgusting” as the images were shared widely online.
Graffiti on the visitor centre wall read: “Robert was a racist, bring down the statue.”
The spray-paint on the statue reads “Racist king BLM” and “Black Lives Matter”.
Stirling Police are now investigating the graffiti, which nobody has claimed responsibility for.
A spokesperson said: “We were made aware on Friday, June 12, of vandalism to the Battle of Bannockburn heritage site, near Stirling. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Meanwhile local MP Alyn Smith said: “I’m aware with @RHBruceCrawford of vandalism at the Bannockburn site. @StirlingCouncil is on it and this will be cleared soon. I’ve been vocal in my support of #BlackLivesMatter and hope such counterproductive stupidity is an isolated incident.”
READ MORE: Was Robert the Bruce really a 'racist king'?
It comes after campaigners Topple the Racists identified more than a dozen statues in Scotland with links to slavery and colonialism which they say should be removed.
However, the Bannockburn site was not identified on that interactive map - and the Bruce was not involved in racist slavery, as the trade did not include Scotland or Scots until centuries after his death in 1329.
The removal of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol at the weekend has sparked a conversation about what the UK’s public statues represent.
Vandalism, Vandals, there must be a statue of a Vandal somewhere than can be tagged.
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“Racist” against WHO? Edward Longshanks??
Visited the site in 2006. Found out within the last year that he’s supposed to be my 20th great-grandfather.
We need to at some point arrest these snowflakes and spray paint them like they did our monuments
Aren’t there any Scots left in Scotland or have they all been replaced with Pakistanis? A real Scot woyld cme absolutely unglued at the desecration of the Robert the Bruce statue.
Don’t know. There were blacks, more accurately blackamoors, in Scotland long before Robert the Bruce. Not many. Maybe Robert didn’t like them. More likely the BLM supporter is ignorant. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Shoot first. Question later
The real Bruce was really handy with a battle axe.
I'm supposed to be related to both of them. How'd that happen??? Crazy racist ancestors???
“Racist” against WHO?”
Very socialist, now.
What was the black population of Scotland in the 12th century?
“Racist” against WHO? Edward Longshanks??
Yes, shouldn’t it be SLM, Scottish Lives Matter?
Well, didn’t Sir Morris carry Robert the Bruce’s heart to the crusades?
I had a discussion about this on another forum, and the person there suggested this — Robert the Bruce was planning on going on a Crusade. He died before he could do it, but had his lieutenant promise to take his heart into battle against the Infidels and present it at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It apparently was carried into battle in Spain against the Moors. So Robert was an early Islamophobe.
I think it’s a stretch that these ignoramuses would have been aware of this, but who knows?
Okay, now it’s personal. Fetch me my claidheamh mór, laddie.
Because he was in a Mel Gibson movie?
These booger-eating-morons are also demanding the removal of the statue of Winston Churchill.
The reason they don’t want history taught, besides the fact that it reminds them that they’re completely ignorant of history, if that it keeps them from making up their own narrative.
Someone should remind them that if not for Churchill (and the USA,) blacks would have been re-enslaved by the NAZIs, if not outright exterminated in Europe. But you can bet that they would have been used as slave labor in Africa.
Mark
That was the story we were told too, but I later found out the Bruces in the US apparently came from Robert’s grandfather in France, not directly from Robert. They arrived in the colonies early as Huguenot Brousse... later changed the name to Bruce.
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