A group arguing that a new plaque at the foot of Edinburgh's controversial Melville Monument is not historically accurate has applied for planning permission to have it removed.
Installed in 2021 as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement sparked calls for the removal of the Henry Dundas statue, which sits atop a 150-ft column in St Andrew Square, the plaque sought to present a more nuanced account of the life and work of the prominent 18th century politician by highlighting his role in delaying the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.
The wording, agreed by council leaders, heritage experts and Professor Geoff Palmer, who has since completed a slavery and colonialism legacy review for Edinburgh City Council, states Dundas was "instrumental" in deferring abolition with "more than half a million enslaved Africans crossing the Atlantic" as a result.
