A protestor has been seen throwing eggs at a statue of Baroness Margaret Thatcher hours after it was unveiled.
The memorial, which had only been lowered into place two hours prior to the incident, is in her home town of Grantham, Lincolnshire. The unveiling was met with booing from passing motorists, with one shouting "tear it down."
The council approved a large-scale £100,000 unveiling ceremony in 2020, which led to the creation of a Facebook group proposing an “egg-throwing contest” at the event. The group gained interest from more than 13,000 people.
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In at attempt to combat vandalism, the council had installed a CCTV camera opposite the statue. Despite this, a man in a white T-shirt followed-up the threat and threw eggs from behind a temporary fence surrounding the memorial.
He was seen holding an egg carton in one hand and preparing to throw an egg from the other on Sunday. He gave a successful cry of “oi” after hitting his target.
Egg residue and a piece of shell could be seen on the statue’s lower half. In a statement, a Lincolnshire Police spokeswoman said: “We have received reports of criminal damage to the Margaret Thatcher statue shortly after 10am this morning (May 15). No arrests have been made. Inquiries are still ongoing.”
The site has already proven popular with visits from people taking selfies. The statue was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster. Reports originally presented to South Kesteven District Council showed the statue was moved to Lincolnshire due to fears of a “motivated far-left movement… who may be committed to public activism ”.
Leader of South Kesteven District Council Kelham Cooke said “we must never hide from our history”, adding it is “appropriate the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham”. He said: “This memorial statue of the late Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven will be a fitting tribute to a truly unique political figure.
"Margaret Thatcher will always be a significant part of Grantham’s heritage. She and her family have close ties with Grantham. She was born, raised and went to school here. It is, therefore, appropriate that she is commemorated by her home town and that the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham."
The statue, standing at just over 20ft high, is situated in between two existing statues of Sir Isaac Newton and Frederick Tollemache in the town’s Civic Quarter. It cost £300,000 to build.
The Grantham Community Heritage Association (GCHA), an educational charity which manages Grantham Museum, spent a number of years raising money for a permanent memorial to Baroness Thatcher. Graham Jeal, of the GCHA, said: “There has long been a conversation in Grantham about a more permanent memorial to the country’s first female prime minister who was an enormous political figure, both nationally and internationally.
“The delivery of the memorial has secured the museum for the next few years and has helped the museum finances survive the Covid pandemic. It is recognised that the full spectrum of views exist in Grantham about the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and an exhibition inside the museum illustrates this.”
A council spokesman said the Public Memorials Appeal, which funded the monument through donations, will host an official unveiling ceremony at a later date.
