A statue of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled in Glasgow, recognising the city’s historic connection with the anti-apartheid leader.
The bronze sculpture was revealed in Nelson Mandela Place on Friday, October 9, exactly 33 years after Mandela visited Glasgow to receive the Freedom of the City.
Glasgow became the first city in the world to award Mandela the honour in 1981, while he was still in prison. The city later renamed St George’s Place as Nelson Mandela Place in 1986, in a symbolic protest against South Africa’s apartheid regime.
Speaking to STV News, former Lord Provost Michael Kelly, who helped lead the campaign to recognise Mandela, said: “We felt very strongly that some support had to be shown to Mandela.”
Mandela spent 27 years in prison before his release in 1990. He went on to become South Africa’s first Black president in 1994.
Thousands gathered in Glasgow’s George Square during his visit in 1993. Former anti-apartheid campaigner Agnes Tholmie told STV News: “The people of Glasgow felt that injustice, that unfairness.”
The statue was created by Scottish sculptor Alan B Herriot and commissioned by the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation following years of campaigning and fundraising.
Brian Filling, chair of the foundation, told STV News the monument would help preserve Mandela’s legacy, describing it as a symbol of the need to continue fighting racism and inequality.
The unveiling marks a new chapter in Glasgow’s relationship with Mandela and the international struggle against apartheid.