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Occupy Edinburgh

2011 in ScotlandOccupy movement in the United KingdomProtests in Scotland
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Occupy Edinburgh was a protest against economic and social inequality as part of the global Occupy movement. The "occupation" began with the erection of a number of tents in St. Andrew Square on 14 October 2011.On 24 November 2011, Edinburgh City Council became the first governmental body in the world to grant both the Occupy Edinburgh and the worldwide Occupy Movement official recognition.In January 2012 the protesters were urged to leave their site by Essential Edinburgh, the business group that manages the square they were occupying, and the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, so that it can be used by the public again. The Chamber's deputy chief executive, Graham Birse, said: "We did not spend all that public money for St Andrew Square to become a campsite for those with nowhere else to go."At the end of January 2012 the protesters relocated to The Meadows, a park within Edinburgh, and then left this site a couple of weeks later ahead of a legal bid to have them evicted by the City Council.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Occupy Edinburgh (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Occupy Edinburgh
St Andrew Square, City of Edinburgh New Town

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Wikipedia: Occupy EdinburghContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 55.954166666667 ° E -3.1930555555556 °
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St Andrew Square Garden

St Andrew Square
EH2 2AF City of Edinburgh, New Town
Scotland, United Kingdom
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Melville Monument
Melville Monument

The Melville Monument is a large column in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Scotland, constructed between 1821 and 1827 as a memorial to Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Dundas was a dominant figure in Scottish and British politics during much of the late 18th century. Plans to construct a memorial to him began soon after his death in 1811 and were largely driven by Royal Navy officers, especially Sir William Johnstone Hope. After a successful campaign for subscriptions, construction of the monument began in 1821 but time and costs soon spiralled out of control. The project was not completed until 1827 and not paid off until 1837. From the 2010s, the monument became the subject of increasing controversy due to Dundas' legacy, especially debates over the extent of his role in legislating delays to the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. In the wake of protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the City of Edinburgh Council moved to erect a plaque on the monument to explain Dundas' legacy. Installation of the plaque was completed in October 2021. Designed by William Burn, the column is modelled after Trajan's Column in Rome. Robert Stevenson provided additional engineering advice during construction. The column is topped by a 4.2 m (14 ft) tall statue of Dundas designed by a Francis Leggatt Chantrey and carved Robert Forrest. The total height of the monument is about 45 m (150 ft). It is one of Edinburgh's most prominent landmarks.