Churchill statue fails to overcome prejudice

Yesterday I wrote about the statue of Britain's wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a straitjacket (right) displayed in Norwich by action group Rethink to draw attention to the stigma surrounding mental health problems.

The statue was to be on view until March, but it was ordered to be removed today by the management of the Forum in Norwich, where it was on display, following complaints from other tenants.

Just goes to show that Rethink Chief executive Cliff Prior was right when he said: “The three biggest mental health problems are prejudice, ignorance and fear."

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Churchill statue back on show

16 March 2006 06:30

The controversial statue of Winston Churchill in a straitjacket was temporarily back on show in Norwich last night.

Mental health charity Rethink was banned from showing the statue in The Forum after a row about the way it depicted the wartime leader's battle against his depression and the failure to disclose its controversial nature to the venue's managers before it was unveiled last Friday.

But Borders bookshop in Norwich agreed for the statue to be displayed for one night only to mark the launch of a new book by Rethink worker Zoe McIntosh, From Goldfish Bowl to Ocean.

Nicky Boardman, the shop's general manager, agreed the statue could form part of the launch after a call from Rethink yesterday afternoon.

"We were happy to have the statue. It may not represent any views we have but it's quite an interesting sculpture to look at," he said.

"One of the things about Borders is that we want to be part of the community, and mental health is an important part of the community."

The statue prompted widespread condemnation this week, with old soldiers describing it as "an insult" to Churchill's memory.

However, the charity says it simply wanted to use it to illustrate overcoming mental health problems.

From http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED15%20Mar%202006%2019%3A21%3A26%3A513

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