Letters | Why Hong Kong should join the UK in dismantling colonial era legacy

I am no fan of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but his latest decision in setting up a commission to look at “all aspects of inequality” following race protests across the United Kingdom is one that we in Hong Kong should emulate in our historical context.

If the toppling of a statue of a 17th century slave trader is considered the defining moment for rectifying historical injustice in the United Kingdom, it would be reasonable to assume Hongkongers would accept and welcome the renaming of certain streets, statues, monuments, public buildings or other locations named in the colonial era for officers or individuals who built the British Empire, despite an appalling record of crimes committed against people in China and other territories. I think the present British government would have no objection.

Jardine’s Lookout, Jardine’s Bazaar and Jardine’s Crescent were named after William Jardine, who sold opium and played an instrumental role in the opium wars against China. They would be prime candidates for renaming.

Elgin Street, being named after James Bruce, the eighth Earl of Elgin, who ordered the destruction of the Summer Palace and looting of Beijing, is another example. Statues of those whose reign included brutal invasion and occupation of other countries and exploitation of the native population are better consigned to museums or military cemeteries, in the company of colonial officers and soldiers killed for their king and country.

Peter Kammerer in his article “Hong Kong and US protests are different – in how police brutality claims are treated” (June 16) acknowledges US policing failures but highlights the difference in response when compared to the Hong Kong protests, because of the acknowledgement and efforts made to prevent a repeat of such failures in America.