London mayor Sadiq Khan received social media abuse after reports incorrectly claimed that he might block a new statue of Queen Elizabeth II in the city. Some British newspapers reported that Sadiq Khan had denied a place for Queen Elizabeth II’s statue on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth which has showcased contemporary artworks since 1999.
Issuing a clarification Sadiq Khan‘s office said that the location of a statue for the late monarch was a decision for King Charles III and the royal family.
“Mayor of London has been repeatedly clear he stands ready to support the wishes of Royal Family whatever they are and will ensure our capital has a fitting tribute to our longest serving monarch,” his office tweeted.
Owing to the misleading reports, Sadiq Khan was accused of not being patriotic enough by social media users. The London mayor- whose grandparents were born in India and parents migrated from Pakistan to the UK- also faced racist slurs.
This comes less than a week after Sadiq Khan said that there had been 230,000 racist tweets about him since he took the role of London mayor in 2016. Inaccurate reporting that “demonised” him resulted in the hatred that he faced on social media, Sadiq Khan had said.
