- Article
Why are there prison bars around the statues of Gandhi, Mandela and Fawcett in Parliament Square?
Greenpeace activists have installed prison bars around the statues of three iconic protesters in Parliament Square to highlight the UK government’s crackdown on the right to protest.
What happened
A team of highly-trained activists put three of the nation’s most recognisable monuments behind bars.
The statues depict the anti-Apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, the nonviolent resistance leader Mahatma Gandhi and the campaigner for votes for women Millicent Fawcett. These monuments stand outside Parliament in central London – at the heart of British democracy.
The prison bars are made of wood and have been designed not to touch the statues. This intervention has been carefully planned and rehearsed to minimise any risk of damage.
Why we took action
Isn’t it ironic that the government celebrates protesters of the past as heroes, while criminalising and locking up protesters of today?
We took action to expose this hypocrisy and to remind everyone about the pivotal role protest has played in winning freedom, equality and democracy.
The government has made it much harder to protest today by:
- Proscribing Palestine Action. It’s now a terror offence to show support for this direct action group – including by protesting against the original ban.
- Standing by as hundreds of peaceful protesters – many of them over the age of 60 – are arrested on suspicion of terror offences for holding signs opposing the ban.
- Pushing even more extreme laws in the Crime & Policing Bill. These would give police powers to restrict protests near places of worship (ruling out most urban areas) and to arrest protesters who wear face coverings – even for religious or medical reasons.
- Threatening to give police powers to restrict or even ban repeat protests because of their ‘cumulative impact’
Who do the statues celebrate?
Millicent Fawcett campaigned for women’s right to vote and led Britain’s largest women’s rights association, the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, from 1897 to 1919. She organised numerous marches, wrote three books and is regarded as key to women gaining the vote in the UK. In 2018, a century after the Representation of the People Act, she was the first woman to be honoured by a statue in Parliament Square.
Millicent Fawcett – “Courage calls to courage everywhere, and its voice cannot be denied”
Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian lawyer and anti-colonial activist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. In 2007, the United Nations declared Gandhi’s birthday, 2 October, as ‘International Day of Nonviolence’.
Gandhi – “Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state has become lawless or corrupt”
Nelson Mandela was a South African activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa elected in a fully representative democratic election. Previously, he served 27 years in prison for his campaigning against Apartheid. Globally regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honours including the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mandela – “Freedom is never granted; it is won”
What we’re calling for
The government must stop passing extreme laws to clamp down on the right to protest. It should delete the anti-protest clauses in the Crime & Policing Bill that is currently going through Parliament and revoke the anti-protest laws passed by the last government.
It should also remove Palestine Action from its list of terrorist organisations, which includes violent groups like ISIS and National Action. This decision will be the subject of a judicial review in November 2025, and we believe that all charges relating to protests against proscription should be put on hold until the court decides.
Greenpeace’s approach to protest
Our action was entirely peaceful and we took great care to ensure no members of the public were endangered and to minimise the risk of any damage to the statues.
This action was carefully designed and rehearsed. We also had signs and communicators dotted around the square to reassure members of the public and to explain what was going on.
The prison bars look like metal, but they are made from wood – a softer material than the statues. They have also been carefully designed to avoid direct contact with the statues themselves.
Non-violent direct action is a core Greenpeace principle and our actions have proved essential to the success of campaigns in exposing environmental crimes, confronting unjust activities and stopping environmental destruction.
