Millicent Fawcett: Theresa May leads tributes to suffragist leader
PA / AFP Suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett's statue now stands in Parliament Square
The bronze statue of the woman who was a leading figure in the campaign to get women the right to vote 100 years was unveiled in a ceremony today. Dame Millicent’s statue now stands alongside 11 historical male figures including former Prime Ministers Winston Churchill, Lord Palmerston, Benjamin Disraeli, Sir Robert Peel and David Lloyd George and South African statesmen Jan Smuts and Nelson Mandela. It is hoped that Britain’s greatest post war Prime Minister and first woman to hold the office Margaret Thatcher will also be commemorated with a statue in Parliament Square. Millicent Fawcett's statue was unveiled by her great-great niece, schoolgirls from Millbank Academy and other figures in the campaign.
GETTY Theresa May and Sadiq Khan both celebrated the statue's unveiling
I would not be here today as Prime Minister, no female MPs would have taken their seats in Parliament, none of us would have had the rights and protections we now enjoy, were it not for one truly great woman, Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett. Theresa May
Speaking at the event, Mrs May said: “I would not be here today as Prime Minister, no female MPs would have taken their seats in Parliament, none of us would have had the rights and protections we now enjoy, were it not for one truly great woman, Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett. “For generations to come, this statue will serve not just as a reminder of Dame Millicent’s extraordinary life and legacy, but as inspiration to all of us who wish to follow in her footsteps,” she added. London Mayor Sadiq Khan was also among the guests. He said: “Today is an historic day. The decision to commission this statue was a no-brainer. It is vital that we fix the imbalance and make sure more women are represented in our public spaces.”
Suffragettes: 150th anniversary of women's vote petition Tue, June 7, 2016 A campaign for a statue of suffragette Millicent Fawcett to be mounted in London's Parliament Square is being stepped up today, on the 150th anniversary of the first petition for women’s votes. Play slideshow Heritage Images/Getty Images 1 of 13 Daisy Dugdale leading a procession, London, 1908
The event was hosted by BBC presenter Mishal Husain and featured poet Theresa Lola, performances from the cast of Sylvia and the Suffragist Singers and an adaptation of Fawcett’s 1918 victory speech when women first won the right to vote. Caroline Criado Perez, the Brazilian-born activist and writer, started the campaign for a statue of a woman in Parliament Square in 2016. The idea came as she was running through Westminster on International Women’s Day and could not see any statues to women. To her dismay, she realised that all 11 figures dotted around the square were men.
EPA The statue has a Fawcett quotation saying 'courage calls to courage everwhere'
She said: “Women are still woefully underrepresented, but we are making one hell of a start in changing that.” The movement went on to gain the support of the Mayor of London and the Prime Minister, and the bronze figure was commissioned, and then produced by Turner Prize winner Gillian Wearing. The statue also marks the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which gave some women voting rights for the first time. The statue shows a 50-year-old Fawcett holding a banner which says: “Courage calls to courage everywhere.”