George Pieri

The problem with renaming London’s streets

  • From Spectator Life
Image: Getty

In Taksim Square, the busy central hub of Istanbul, a large, viril monument stands. In the centre is Mustafa Kemal Attaturk, the father of modern Turkey (although, perhaps not the contemporary one). When Attaturk came into power, he immediately set about changing the country from Empire to Nation. This meant progressive Western values, the alphabet; a dismissal, in some cases, a blanketing of the culture and customs before it. Almost by accident, this sparked a nostalgia for the Empire that is potent in today’s Turkey.

In the hotel nearby, the Kurdish receptionist gets to work. ‘Did you see the monument?’ he says to me bleakly. I ask what he thinks of Kemal, noticing that behind him, like in many Turkish homes, there is a portrait of him on the wall, his famous blue eyes emphasised as though arguing some sort of point: ‘I don’t like him…’ he replies, perhaps thinking of the Imperial Turkey Erdogan has set about revising, ‘but he was better than what we have today.’

I recall his words as my hometown, London, embarks on its own refurnishing. Sadiq Khan’s Commission of Diversity in the Public Realm intends to raise awareness on the history of controversial statues, street names, and landmarks. They will influence which are to be removed or replaced. Members include actor Riz Ahmed, who has spoken most publicly about the committee, and prominent art critic Aindrea Emelife, along with thirteen other figures.

Living amid a nation’s glorious (or inglorious) frippery is just one of the bargains immigrants have had to make throughout time. It was certainly one my own grandparents made, arriving in England after a failed attempt at independence between Cyprus and the British Empire. I suspect they did it because they knew the life afforded to their children as a result of their move would outweigh the presence of an awkward street-name or a statue of a man they had never heard of (especially when faced with the very real sieg-heiling xenophobes of their time).

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in