Margaret Thatcher statue egged within hours of being installed in hometown
- The statue was lowered into place in Grantham, Lincolnshire on Sunday amid previous threats of ‘egg throwing’ and was booed by passing motorists
- A protester threw eggs from behind a temporary fence surrounding the memorial. Police said no arrests have been made in connection with the incident
A statue of the late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has been egged within two hours of it being installed in her hometown in England.
A protester threw eggs from behind a temporary fence surrounding the memorial, with a cry of “oi” heard after one hit part of the monument.
Lincolnshire Police said no arrests have been made in connection with the incident, but they did receive a report of criminal damage soon after 10am on Sunday.
The statue was lowered into place in Grantham, Lincolnshire, amid previous threats of “egg throwing” and was booed by passing motorists.
In February 2019, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £300,000 (US$368,000) statue – which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.
Despite its unveiling being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the statue was erected on a 10ft-high granite plinth on Sunday morning.
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.”
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After a large-scale £100,000 (US$122,491) 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.
In a statement, a Lincolnshire Police spokeswoman said: “We have received reports of criminal damage to the Margaret Thatcher statue shortly after 10am this morning (May 15). No arrests have been made. Inquiries are still ongoing.”
Thatcher served as the UK’s prime minister from 1975 to 1990. She was the country’s longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the office. Thatcher died in 2013 at the age of 87.
