Mayor backs appeal to allow Mandela statue to be placed in Trafalgar Square

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has thrown his weight behind a challenge to Westminster City Council's planning committee, which has refused planning permission for a statue of Nelson Mandela to be placed at the centre of the north terrace of Trafalgar Square.

<-- Proposed design for the statue of Nelson Mandela.

The planning committee has consistently rejected the application for the statue by sculptor Ian Walters to be erected, even though it has the backing of Lord Attenborough and Donald Woods' widow Wendy, as well as wide-ranging support from the general public and well-known figures, including Sir Richard Branson and Jesse Jackson.

The Mandela Statue Fund is mounting an appeal against Westminster's decision and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Planning Directorate will hear the appeal by public inquiry on 27-29 September. The Mayor will make representations at the hearing on Thursday 29 September.

The Mayor said: 'Nelson Mandela has a special relationship with the British people, forged during the fight to free him and the struggle against racist apartheid. Mandela is one of the greatest world statesmen of our age and his status should be commemorated in a place that reflects his international significance. Nelson Mandela gave as his reason for supporting London's bid to host the Olympics that we are a diverse and welcoming international city. It is exactly those values we would celebrate with this statue. There can be no better place than our greatest square to place a statue of Nelson Mandela so that every generation can remind the next of the fight against racism.

'Statues and monuments have historically reflected the times in which they are erected and Westminster Planning Committee's refusal to be reasonable about the proposal suggests they are out of touch with the modern world and the wishes of Londoners.'

Reverend Jesse Jackson has said: 'Mandela's contribution to the cause of world peace, increased understanding across racial divides, his selfless promotion of justice and reconciliation make him a world figure of truly historic proportions. I fully support the Ken Livingstone's efforts to place this statue, centre-stage, in Trafalgar Square. Moreover I think the majority of peoples throughout the world would support him. To those who oppose this tribute I say you are standing in the way of history.'