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Bust of Haile Selassie
Artist	Hilda Seligman
Completion date	1957
Location	Wimbledon, London

A bust of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie formerly stood in Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon Common, London. A work of the sculptor Hilda Seligman, it was destroyed in June 2020.

History

During the 1930s, Ethiopia came into conflict with the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who sought to avenge his country for its losses during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1935 Italy invaded Ethiopia, starting the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. As a result of the invasion, Haile Selassie was exiled to the United Kingdom.

In 1936, while in exile, Selassie spent time at Seligman's family home. He returned to Ethiopia in 1941, and when Seligman's home was demolished in 1957, she installed the bust in Cannizaro Park.

The bust was a popular attraction and pilgrimage site for followers of the Rastafarian movement.

Destruction

The bust was destroyed by a group of around 100 protestors on 30 June 2020, in what was believed to have been a reaction to the killing of the Ethiopian protest singer Hachalu Hundessa in Addis Ababa the previous day.

See also

• Actions against memorials in the United Kingdom during the George Floyd protests
• List of public art formerly in London

References

1. "Haile Selassie I". Biography. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
2. Matthews, Peter (22 February 2018). London's Statues and Monuments: Revised Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78442-258-5.
3. "Haile Selassie statue destroyed in London park". BBC News. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
4. "Statue of former Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie destroyed". Voice Online. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
5. "London police probe destruction of Haile Selassie statue". Times of Malta. Agence France-Presse. 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
6. Magazine, Tadias. "UPDATE: Ethiopia to Restore Toppled UK Bust of Emperor Haile Selassie at Tadias Magazine". Retrieved 9 August 2020.

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• Visual arts

51°25′29″N 0°13′53″W / 51.42459°N 0.23129°W / 51.42459; -0.23129

• Cultural depictions of Haile Selassie
• Outdoor sculptures in London
• 1957 sculptures
• Destroyed sculptures
• 1957 establishments in England
• 1957 in London
• 2020 disestablishments in England
• 2020 in London
• Sculptures of men
• History of the London Borough of Merton
• Busts in the United Kingdom