Thatcher statue vandalised with red paint and communist symbols weeks after egging

29 May 2022, 19:21 | Updated: 29 May 2022, 20:42

A newly erected statue of Margaret Thatcher has been vandalised for the second time in two weeks.

The £300,000 sculpture had red paint throw at it with vandals also spray painting a communist red hammer and sickle on fence, which is meant to protect it from damage.

Lincolnshire Police said: "Just before 11.15pm yesterday we received reports of a person shown on CCTV acting suspiciously near the site.

"Officers attended and found graffiti had been spray painted onto the barriers surrounding the statue, no damage was thought to have been caused to the statue itself.

"This is being treated as criminal damage and an enquiry is ongoing."

New statue of Baroness Thatcher egged hours after being put in place

It is the second time in two weeks that the ststue has been damaged after a protester threw eggs at the statue less than two hours after it was lowered into place earlier this month.

Only one connected with the statue, with the man in question having to throw the eggs from behind a temporary fence surrounding the memorial.

A cry of "oi" could be heard after one connected with the lower part of the monument.

A 59-year-old university worker was fined £90 for the incident with police saying the statue "continues to be monitored by CCTV".

In February 2019, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £300,000 statue - which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.

Reports originally presented to South Kesteven District Council showed the statue was moved to the area due to fears of a "motivated far-left movement... who may be committed to public activism".

But after a large-scale £100,000 unveiling ceremony was approved by the council in 2020, a Facebook group proposing an "egg-throwing contest" at the event attracted interest from more than 13,000 people.

Around 2,400 others visited the Facebook page to say they would go to the event which including "egg throwing... and potentially graffiti art".

Despite threats council bosses have continued with its unveiling with the statue now erected on a 10ft-high granite plinth in Baroness Thatcher's home town of Grantham, Lincolnshire, on Sunday.

Read more: NHS prescription charges in England to be frozen in bid to curb cost of living crisis

James reacts as City of London decides to keep slave trader statues.

A council spokesman said the Public Memorials Appeal, which funded the monument through donations, will host an official unveiling ceremony at a later date.

Leader of South Kesteven District Council Kelham Cooke said "we must never hide from our history", adding it is "appropriate the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham".

He said: "This memorial statue of the late Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven will be a fitting tribute to a truly unique political figure.

"Margaret Thatcher will always be a significant part of Grantham's heritage. She and her family have close ties with Grantham. She was born, raised and went to school here.

"It is, therefore, appropriate that she is commemorated by her home town, and that the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham.

"We must never hide from our history, and this memorial will be a talking point for generations to come."

Read more: Government slams 'egregious wokery' of charity-run university racial equality scheme

Edward Colston statue replaced by sculpture of black protester

The statue, standing at just over 20ft high, is situated in between two existing statues of Sir Isaac Newton and Frederick Tollemache in the town's Civic Quarter.

Mr Cooke added: "We hope that this memorial will encourage others to visit Grantham and to see where she lived and visit the exhibition of her life in Grantham Museum.

"This is about inspiring, educating and informing people about someone who represents a significant part of Grantham's heritage."

The Grantham Community Heritage Association (GCHA), an educational charity which manages Grantham Museum, spent a number of years raising money for a permanent memorial to Baroness Thatcher.

Graham Jeal, of the GCHA, said: "There has long been a conversation in Grantham about a more permanent memorial to the country's first female prime minister who was an enormous political figure, both nationally and internationally.

"The delivery of the memorial has secured the museum for the next few years and has helped the museum finances survive the Covid pandemic.

"It is recognised that the full spectrum of views exist in Grantham about the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and an exhibition inside the museum illustrates this."