[Watch] Colonial King Leopold II Statue Goes Down, Known For The Killing of 10 Million Congolese

A statue of Belgium's King Leopold II, who reportedly oversaw the killing of 10 million Congolese people, has been removed from Antwerp Square, Belgium. His statue has always been targeted because of his cruel rule of Belgium's African Colonies.

The statue was removed on Tuesday from from its location which was next to a church in the Antwerp district of Ekeren. 

Statues of the 19th-century king have long been a target of activists because of his record of brutal colonial rule in Belgium's former central African colonies.

According to Aljazeera report, King Leopold II Leopold II was the king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, the longest reign in the young kingdom's short independent history, and is honoured with several monuments. 

His record in Belgium's African colonies is of a very controversial nature. Belgian rule of what is now the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was brutal even by the standards of European empires of the era. Millions of Congolese were killed or maimed working in rubber plantations and in military expeditions while Leopold amassed a huge personal fortune.

A crowd has climbed onto the statue of colonial King Léopold II in #Brussels chanting “murderer” and waving the flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo where his atrocities took place. #DRC 🇨🇩 #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/DIH9MGu39M

— Jack Parrock (@jackeparrock) June 7, 2020

The removal of King Leopold's statue follows that of slave trader Edward Colston which was tossed into the harbor in south-west England’s Bristol on Sunday.

There are fears that more statues of racism kings and leader will be taken down by protesters after the killing of George Floyd by the police in America. 

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Tuesday that London statues with links to slavery “should be taken down” and has set up a committee to review the city’s landmarks to make sure they reflect diversity.