A statue of ancient Roman leader Julius Caesar was vandalised in the Flemish village of Velzeke-Ruddershove over the weekend, with some linking the vandalism to ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
The statue is located in the Roman square in the sleepy Flemish town and was reported as damaged on Sunday. Vandals had ripped off one of the hands of the statue that had carried a lance and graffitied the word “krapuul” — Flemish for “bastard” — on its base.
Local mayor Jenne De Potter commented on the vandalism, saying: “We will be able to estimate more precisely on Monday the extent of the damage and the repairs that need to be carried out.” De Potter went on to add that the costs of the damages will be the responsibility for those who vandalised the statue.
Broadcaster RTFB noted that the vandalism comes after numerous attacks on statues of former Belgian King Leopold II, whose brutal rule of the Congo in the 19th century has led many to criticise him and object to memorials of the monarch in public places.
While the actual motive for the vandalism is currently not known, the broadcaster suggested the former Roman general and dictator may have suffered “from the current social protest”. Half a mile away, more statues were vandalised, with speculation that the same individuals were behind both attacks.
Last week, a statue of Leopold II was removed in the city of Antwerp after it had been attacked and set on fire by protesters during an anti-racism protest.
Across the Western world, Black Lives Matter and other so-called anti-racist far-left groups have targetted statues of historical figures who may have been tied to slavery or who have been accused of racism.
In the UK, the Stop Trump Coalition, a far-left activist group, released a hit list of statues they wanted to see taken down along with roads and buildings they wished to see renamed.