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Question over Grantham's Isaac Newton statue as actor John Cleese weighs in on statue debate




Actor John Cleese has responded to the recent controversy regarding statues - placing a question mark over the Isaac Newton statue in Grantham.

The Monty Python star has weighed in on the issue, as statues of controversial figures such as Edward Colston were toppled in the UK.

The 80-year-old called the situation "rather complicated", bringing up celebrated scientist and son of Grantham Isaac Newton's ties to the slave trade.

John Cleese's profile picture on Twitter (36727681)
John Cleese's profile picture on Twitter (36727681)

Newton invested thousands of pounds in stock into the South Sea Company, which transported slaves from Africa to the West Indies and America where they were sold.

On Twitter, Cleese said: "I'm very confused about toppling statues...

"The Greeks, whose civilisation has long been admired in the West, believed that in the Ancient World, a cultured society was only possible if it was based on slavery.

"So should we be getting rid of statues of Socrates and Aristotle?

"Similarly, the Romans enslaved the British for 400 years. So are we due reparations from the Italians?

"And Sir Isaac Newton was a shareholder in the South Sea Company, which included slave trading among its activities.

"What do we do about his statues? It's rather complicated."

The Isaac Newton statue on St Peter's Hill was erected in 1858 to commemorate his great influence on the world of science and mathematics.

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