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Former Boy Scout Len Banister, 79, lifted his walking sticks in the air as he stood in front of the statue and cried: “Who wants to knock it down, they will have to knock me down first.”
The retired engineer added: “I don’t normally protest but when I heard the news I was so shocked I got here as soon as I could.
“I will guard that statue. I was a scout, my son is a scoutmaster. He changed our lives. Scouting is a wonderful thing not just in Britain but worldwide.
“I went to the 50th anniversary of the scouts and it was beautiful to see all the different nationalities brought together by what he created.”
A statue commemorating Scout founder Lord Baden-Powell is to be removed today amid fears Black Lives Matter protesters will topple it and throw it in the sea. The bronze statue depicting the decorated war hero sits on Poole Quay in Dorset and overlooks Brownsea Island where Robert Baden-Powell held the first Scout camp in 1907. But the local council have agreed to take it down after receiving advice from Dorset police that statue could be a target for anti-racist campaigners.
CorinMesser/BNPS
Former Boy Scout Len Banister, 79, lifted his walking sticks in the air as he stood in front of the statue and cried: “Who wants to knock it down, they will have to knock me down first.”
The retired engineer added: “I don’t normally protest but when I heard the news I was so shocked I got here as soon as I could.
“I will guard that statue. I was a scout, my son is a scoutmaster. He changed our lives. Scouting is a wonderful thing not just in Britain but worldwide.
“I went to the 50th anniversary of the scouts and it was beautiful to see all the different nationalities brought together by what he created.”
A statue commemorating Scout founder Lord Baden-Powell is to be removed today amid fears Black Lives Matter protesters will topple it and throw it in the sea. The bronze statue depicting the decorated war hero sits on Poole Quay in Dorset and overlooks Brownsea Island where Robert Baden-Powell held the first Scout camp in 1907. But the local council have agreed to take it down after receiving advice from Dorset police that statue could be a target for anti-racist campaigners.
©CorinMesser 11 Jun 2020 5472x3648 / 3.8MB