Far-Right Attack on Nelson Mandela’s Glasgow Statue Condemned
31 October 2026
Andrew Feinstein, a former South African MP who served in Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC), has condemned far-right “activists” for targeting the newly unveiled Nelson Mandela statue in Glasgow.
Anti-immigration signs were hung on the memorial, promoting “remigration”, a term associated with mass deportations.
Feinstein described the incident as exposing the “profound racism” of the far right, arguing that such actions directly contradict Mandela’s lifelong commitment to equality, justice and reconciliation.
The statue, unveiled in October 2026 in Nelson Mandela Place, stands as a permanent symbol of the struggle against apartheid and Glasgow’s historic solidarity with the South African liberation movement.
One of the biggest cheers at the unveiling came when a speaker quoted Mandela’s words:
“Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
The moment highlighted the connection between Mandela’s struggle against apartheid and the continuing Palestinian struggle for freedom and self-determination.
In 1981, Glasgow became the first city in the world to award Mandela the Freedom of the City while he was still imprisoned by South Africa’s apartheid regime.
The statue was unveiled 33 years after Mandela visited Scotland in 1993, when approximately 10,000 people welcomed him to George Square, ahead of his election as South Africa’s first Black president in 1994.
Despite attempts by the far-right to tarnish the memorial, Mandela’s legacy of resistance to racism, apartheid and oppression remains firmly embedded in Glasgow’s history.