Replacement David Oluwale plaque torn down again – but campaigners vow ‘the racists won’t win’

It was reported that the latest temporary replacement for the David Oluwale plaque had been taken overnight.

But no sooner had this happened, than volunteers returned to the scene this morning with another temporary replacement.

Underneath the new laminated plaque, a notice reads: “A new plaque will be installed this September.

"The city won’t be detered (sic) from commemorating David Oluwale’s life and legacy.”

The original plaque was unveiled during a special ceremony on April 25 before it was removed later that evening.

David Oluwale had travelled to the UK from Nigeria in search of a better life, but was targeted because of his mental health, homelessness and race, before his death in 1969.

Leeds City Council deputy leader Jonathan Pryor, who had long campaigned for a plaque to be placed on the site, said: “After being persecuted in life it’s horrible to know there are still people who will persecute him in death too.

"But these racist acts won’t succeed and we will persist to ensure that David’s story is amplified and known.

"I’m looking forward to the new permanent plaque being up soon in its proper place.”

A plaque had originally been placed on the site in a

“It’s incredibly sad and disappointing,” said Martin Hamilton, chairman of Leeds Civic Trust. “We were determined to replace it after the original one was taken down.

"This is the place that we felt was the most appropriate. We we can not be deterred by one person’s actions to remove it.”

He added that the trust was looking at a date in “the first half of September” to install a permanent replacement for the plaque.

“There are ways of making these things more secure – there is a more robust way of attaching them.

“Obviously if someone is determined to take a plaque down, it will happen, but if we make it more difficult, they will be less likely to.”