Margaret Thatcher was prime minister of the United Kingdom between 1979 to 1990.
Over 2,000 people have signed up for an "egg-throwing contest" at the unveiling ceremony of a statue of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher which will cost a local council £100,000 ($133,000) just for the unveiling.
The hefty cost of the unveiling has prompted a backlash against South Kesteven District Council, with people furious that the council will have to underwrite the sum at a time of economic hardship as unemployment rises and businesses close during the COVID-19 pandemic. Newsweek has asked the council why the unveiling of a statue in the middle of a pandemic would cost £100,000 but no response has been received so far.
The event has been organized by Kass Arif, who wrote: "Bois and girls and me non binarys, we out here holding contest for egg throwing, lassos throwing, and potentially graffiti art. Where are we doing this you might ask, well the in the wonderful city of Grantham, and we have a special target being made currently, a beautiful statue of the Iron Lady, now it's a family friendly event so please be respectful and pick up ya litter. Not sure on the unvaling of the statue but will change the date accordingly." [sic]
Britain's 'Iron Lady' Margaret Thatcher Dies At 87 From Stroke
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The bronze statue of the prime minister who became known as the iron lady costs £300,000 ($400,000), not including the unveiling, and was designed by sculptor Douglas Jennings.
The statute will also be placed on a 10ft high plinth to prevent it from being vandalized, with the entire structure over 20ft tall. In a later Facebook post on the event page, Arif said that if the nation was putting people before statues then it fell on people to help each other during difficult times.
He wrote: "Serious post now. I really didn't expect the event to blow as big as it did.I started this to gain a reaction from people to question why we as a nation are putting statues before people, it's a disgusting movement by the council who both know it will be met with disapproval and the fact that they have stated they want to put it on a 10ft plinth to stop vandals should of been a red flag for them.
"If a local council or even a government fails to provide for the nation then it falls on us to protect and help one another, regardless of class, wealth, race, sex, political stance, or age. Let's do something Great, stand in solidarity with the ones being effected right now, so if you can spare even a quid, donate it to the following go fund me." [sic]
The council has defended its decision to spend the money on the unveiling ceremony.
A South Kesteven District Council spokesperson told Newsweek: "The cost of the statue was funded by The Public Memorials Appeal and further money to support the project was raised by the Grantham Community Heritage Association. In the long-term, the statue is expected to attract more tourists to the area, providing a boost to the local economy.
"Our expectation is that the full event costs will be met through public and business fund-raising and donations, although there is a need to allocate funding to underwrite the event. The unveiling is expected to attract a high level of interest and our priority is the safety of both residents and visitors. As would be expected for an event of this scale, our proposal is to partner with an experienced events management company to ensure that the event runs safely and effectively."
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