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Statue of Belgian King taken down after protests
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)King Leopold II Statue - Level 0
Anti-racism protestors covered a statue of a king in paint. Workers pulled the statue down. The protestors cheered. King Leopold II was king from 1865 to 1909. He ruled the Congo Free State in Africa for 23 years. City officials will put his statue in a museum. They will not put it back in the city square.
Over 64,000 people signed a petition. It said, "this man killed more than 10 million Congolese" without ever even going to the Congo. It was a crime against humanity. They want people to know what happened in the Congo. Leopold made a lot of money from rubber plantations. Other people said Leopold was not a "slave king".
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King Leopold II Statue - Level 1
Anti-racism protestors in Belgium covered a statue of former King Leopold II in paint. Workers pulled the statue down. Hundreds of protestors cheered. Leopold was king from 1865 to 1909. He ruled the Congo Free State in Africa for 23 years. City officials will probably put the statue in a museum. One official said: "The square where the statue stood will be redesigned in 2023. There will be no room for it there afterwards."
Over 64,000 people signed a petition. They want people to know what happened in the Congo. The petition said that in 23 years, "this man killed more than 10 million Congolese" without ever even going to the Congo. A newspaper said these deaths led to the first use of the term, "crime against humanity". Leopold made a lot of money from rubber plantations. Over 8,000 people signed a different petition. They say the people who ran the Congo caused the deaths.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
King Leopold II Statue - Level 2
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Anti-racism protestors in Antwerp, Belgium covered a statue of former King Leopold II in paint. The city then pulled the statue down. The king ruled from 1865 to 1909. He ruled the Congo Free State in Africa for 23 years. Hundreds of protestors cheered as workers took the statue off its stand. City officials will probably put the statue in a city museum. One official said: "The square where the statue stood will be redesigned in 2023. There will be no room for it there afterwards. It will remain part of the museum's collection."
Over 64,000 people signed an online petition on Tuesday. They want more people to know about what happened in the Congo. The petition said: "In the space of 23 years, this man killed more than 10 million Congolese without ever having set foot in the Congo." A newspaper said these deaths led to the first use of the term, "crime against humanity". Leopold made a huge personal fortune from the rubber plantations he owned. Over 8,000 people signed a different petition. They believe he was not a "slave king". They say the people who ran the Congo caused the millions of deaths.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
King Leopold II Statue - Level 3
A statue of a former Belgian king was covered in paint and then pulled down by anti-racism protestors. The statue was of King Leopold II, who was King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. He was also ruler of the Congo Free State in Africa from 1885 to 1908. A statue of him in the Belgian city of Antwerp was attacked by protestors over the weekend. It was removed from 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 for it there afterwards. It will remain part of the museum's collection."
Over 64,000 people signed an online petition against the memory of Leopold on Tuesday. They want more people to know about what he did in the Congo. Historians say he was responsible for the deaths of more than 10 million Congolese people during his 23-year reign. A newspaper said these deaths led to the first use of the term, "crime against humanity". The petition said: "In the space of 23 years, this man killed more than 10 million Congolese without ever having set foot in the Congo." He made a huge personal fortune from the rubber plantations he owned. Another petition was signed by 8,000 people. They believe he was not a "slave king" and that the people who ran the Congo led to the millions of deaths.
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25 online activities | 27-page printable | 2-page mini-lesson
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