Storm as Winston Churchill charity erases his first name from its website over controversy about ‘aspects of his life’ and his views on race that are ‘widely seen as unacceptable’
- The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust has removed pictures of the wartime leader from its website and is changing its name to the Churchill Fellowship
- Volunteers at the trust said it was ‘rewriting history’ as a result of woke brigade
- The charity decided to rebrand itself amid concerns over his views on race
A charity named after Winston Churchill has provoked fury by rebranding itself amid concerns over his views on race.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust has removed pictures of the wartime leader from its website and is changing its name to the Churchill Fellowship. Volunteers at the trust said it was ‘rewriting history’.
One told The Sun: ‘He was voted, by the people, as the Greatest Briton in a BBC poll in 2002 but is now erased from his own charity by the woke brigade.
‘You can’t imagine what he would have to say about it all but I’m sure he wouldn’t think it was Britain’s finest hour.’
A charity named after Winston Churchill has provoked fury by rebranding itself amid concerns over his views on race
The original Winston Churchill Memorial Trust name has been removed from the charity’s website
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust has removed pictures of the wartime leader from its website and is changing its name to the Churchill Fellowship (pictured)
Another volunteer said: ‘It beggars belief that the man who saved this nation in our darkest hour finds himself cancelled in this way.’
The trust was set up after the death of Sir Winston in 1965 to help send British citizens abroad on travel scholarships known as Churchill Fellowships. Trustees include Sir Winston’s grandson Jeremy Soames.
A statement on the trust’s website last night said: ‘Today there is controversy about aspects of Sir Winston’s life. Many of his views on race are widely seen as unacceptable today, a view that we share.
One volunteer said: ‘It beggars belief that the man who saved this nation in our darkest hour finds himself cancelled in this way’. Pictured: Julia Weston, the charity’s chief executive
‘At the same time, he is internationally admired for his wartime leadership in saving Britain and the world from Nazism. We acknowledge the many issues and complexities involved on all sides, but do not accept racism of any kind.
‘As a forward-looking charity aiming to improve lives throughout the UK, what we take from Sir Winston’s example are values for the future: global learning, public service and, above all, a belief in the potential of all individuals.’
A spokesman for the trust added that the foundation remained ‘proud of our connection to him and his contribution to saving the world from Nazism’ but added: ‘At the same time, some of his views on race are widely seen as unacceptable today.’
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