Anti-Racism Activists Destroy Statue of Napoleon's Empress in Martinique

Anti-racism activists tore down a statue of Napoleon's empress Josephine and another colonialist figure in the overseas French territory of Martinique, the latest test of President Emmanuel Macron's vow not to erase controversial monuments. A statue of Josephine de Beauharnais, who was born to a wealthy colonial family on the island and later became Napoleon's first wife and empress, was attacked by a crowd of people wielding clubs and ropes, according to an AFP journalist in Fort-de-France on Sunday. A short distance away, the activists also destroyed a statue of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, the trader who established the first French colony on Martinique in 1635. On May 22, the anniversary of the abolition of slavery on Martinique, activists toppled two statues erected in honour of Victor Schoelcher, the lawmaker whose decree outlawed slavery across France in 1848.