Was Winston Churchill racist? Why some people have accused the wartime Prime Minister of racism – The Sun

WINSTON Churchill will always be remembered as the brave and unflinching British Prime Minister who led our country to victory in WWII.

The heroic leader's inspiring role during the war helped defeat Hitler and save Europe and the world from the evil of Nazism.

Who was Winston Churchill?

Born on 30 November 1874, in Oxfordshire, Churchill joined the Royal Cavalry at age 21.

He entered politics as Conservative MP for Oldham in 1900, before crossing the floor to the Liberal Party in 1904.

He served as Conservative Prime Minister twice – from 1940 to 1945, before being defeated in the 1945 general election by the Labour leader Clement Attlee, and again from 1951 to 1955.

Churchill's refusal to surrender to Nazi Germany have prompted many to credit him for Britain's victory in WWII.

As well as orator of masterful public speeches, Churchill was a gifted painter and a keen writer.

Why have some people accused Winston Churchill of being racist?

But despite all of this, a small minority have branded him an Imperialist "white supremacist". Here's why…

There are people, both now and during his lifetime, who found Winston Churchill's views on race and ethnicity alarming.

As an MP, he showed a very Imperial mindset in his desire to conquer more nations based on his belief that "the Aryan stock is bound to triumph", the Independent reported.

And in 1937, he told the Palestine Royal Commission no great wrong had been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia, according to the BBC.

Prime Minister Stephen Baldwin was warned not to appoint him to Cabinet because his views were so old-fashioned, with even Churchill's doctor saying: "Winston thinks only of the colour of their skin."

What happened to the Winston Churchill statue?

On the weekend of June 6 and 7, Black Lives Matter protesters took to the streets of London following the death of George Floyd who was killed as he was arrested in Minneapolis in May.

The Winston Churchill statue was defaced during the second day of protests in London.

Churchill's name was crossed out and in black spray paint "was a racist" was written underneath.

Pictures show police officers standing in front of the memorial with neon green graffiti defacing it on the 76th anniversary of D-Day, on Saturday.

The monument in London's Parliament Square was later boarded up.

However, Home Secretary Priti Patel reportedly demanded the statue be uncovered “immediately”.

Emma Soames, Churchill's granddaughter, has said the statue may have to be put in a museum to protect it if protests are to continue.

Why did Benjamin Whittingham brand him a racist and white supremacist?

The former Labour candidate sparked outrage when he said he was "disappointed" that Churchill would be featured on the £5 bank note.

Despite being voted the greatest ever Briton in 2002, Whittingham branded him a "racist and white supremacist" on Twitter.

Much to the fury of Churchill's grandson Sir Nicholas Soames, he added: "Can't go into the future with a foot in the past."

Sir Nicholas called for then-Labour leader Ed Miliband to take action on Whittingham who was due to stand for the Wyre and Preston North seat in 2015.

What happened at the Blighty Cafe in North London?

In January 2018, a gang of protesters stormed a Churchill-themed cafe to denounce the wartime hero as a "racist".

Halimo Hussein, a student at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London, led the charge

They disrupted diners at the Blighty Cafe and told customers they should be boycotting the place for “celebrating colonialism.

The demonstrators unwittingly helped the restaurant become one of the capital's top-rated eateries.

Fans of the Blighty cafe in Finsbury Park flocked to travel site TripAdvisor in their droves to show their support

Diners showered the outlet with a string of five star reviews on the site, propelling it to number 77 out of 1,181 cafes in the capital.

What did astronaut Scott Kelly say about Winston Churchill and why did he apologise?

Kelly, who commanded three expeditions to the International Space Station, praised Winston Churchill in a post on Twitter.

His tweet, which came after Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed as a US Supreme Court judge, said: "One of the greatest leaders of modern times, Sir Winston Churchill said: 'In victory, magnanimity.' I guess those days are over."

After receiving a barrage of critical comments, he apologised, saying Churchill had racist views and was responsible for "atrocities".
One response to the post read: "Sir with all due respect, Winston Churchill is just as good as Hitler."

After the criticism, Kelly posted another tweet apologising.

"Did not mean to offend by quoting Churchill. My apologies. I will go and educate myself further on his atrocities, racist views which I do not support."

That in turn drew fresh criticism from supporters of the war time leader.

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