One of the obstacles all these abolitionists had to overcome was the
influence of Nelson, who was what you would now call, without
hesitation, a white supremacist. While many around him were denouncing
slavery, Nelson was vigorously defending it. Britain’s best known naval
hero – so idealised that after his death in 1805 he was compared to no
less than “the God who made him” – used his seat in the House of Lords
and his position of huge influence to perpetuate the tyranny, serial
rape and exploitation organised by West Indian planters, some of whom he
counted among his closest friends.
Toppling statues? Here’s why Nelson’s column should be next | Afua Hirsch
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