A statue a former Belgian king was covered paint and then pulled by anti-racism protestors. The statue was King Leopold II, who was King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. He was also ruler the Congo Free State in Africa from 1885 to 1908. A statue of him the Belgian city of Antwerp was attacked protestors over the weekend. It was removed its pedestal on Tuesday. Hundreds of protestors cheered as the statue came down. City officials say they will probably put the statue in a city museum. A city official said: "The square where the statue stood will be redesigned in 2023. There will be no room it there afterwards. It will remain part the museum's collection."
Over 64,000 people signed an online petition the memory of Leopold on Tuesday. They want more people to know about what he did the Congo. Historians say he was responsible the deaths of more than 10 million Congolese people his 23-year reign. A newspaper said these deaths led to the first use the term, "crime against humanity". The petition said: "In the space 23 years, this man killed more than 10 million Congolese without ever having set foot the Congo." He made a huge personal fortune the rubber plantations he owned. Another petition was signed 8,000 people. They believe he was not a "slave king" and that the people who ran the Congo led to the millions deaths.
