Knocked off their perch: protesters target empire builders, Confederate symbols

FILE PHOTO: A statue of former Belgian King Leopold II, a controversial figure in the history of Belgium, stands in the city of Ghent, Belgium June 11, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Once feted as pioneers, some of the architects of Europe’s empire building now face a backlash: anti-racism protesters are demanding their legacies be revisited and their often imposing statues be torn down and consigned to the trash heap of history.

From Cecil Rhodes in England and Captain James Cook in Australia to Christopher Columbus in the United States and King Leopold II in Belgium, the imperialists are under attack, sometimes from the descendants of those they once colonised.