Baden-Powell statue to be boarded up 'as soon as possible'

A statue of Robert Baden-Powell in Poole that was due to be removed is to be boarded up "as soon as possible" to protect it, a deputy council leader has confirmed.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council had announced that the statue of the founder of the Scout Movement in Poole Quay, would be temporarily taken down after it was put on a target list.

The statue of Robert Baden-Powell was due to removed but will now be boarded up Credit: ITV Meridian

But the removal, due to take place on Thursday, was delayed after a crowd of people - some wearing Scout uniforms - gathered around the statue and vowed to protect it. Around 35,000 people have signed a petition calling for the statue to remain in place.

Those campaigning for the monument to be removed highlighted Baden-Powell's associations with the Nazis and the Hitler youth programme, as well as his actions in the military.

Campaigners gather round the statue vowing to protect it Credit: ITV Meridian
The statue of Robert Baden-Powell is to be temporarily boarded up after it was identified on a target list Credit: ITV Meridian
The statue target list emerged following the death of George Floyd in the US Credit: ITV News

Mr Howell said scaffolding panels would be erected around the statue, which overlooks Brownsea Island where Baden-Powell held his first experimental camp in 1907. He acknowledged that it would not be "as secure" as placing the monument into a storage.

The statue appeared on a target list that emerged following a raft of Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US city of Minneapolis last month.

Dorset Police confirmed that it had been "identified as a potential target" but said officers had not advised the council to remove it.