A headstone said to display 'hateful racism' has been taken down after standing for more than 100 years
A pet gravestone engraved with a racial slur has been removed from a Warwickshire park.
The headstone at Coombe Abbey Park, which marked the grave of a dog who died in 1902, has been deemed as “not appropriate” for the current age by Coventry City Council.
The weather-beaten stone, which had stood in a pet cemetery by the side of Coombe Abbey Hotel, attracted controversy last summer after offending a visitor to the country park.
It was engraved with a racial slur, which is believed to have been a popular pet name at the time.
But back then, after being questioned by CoventryLive, Coventry City Council said it would not remove the gravestone because it was on listed land and it was "an historical and pertinent reminder of how far we have come as a society in challenging and educating people about racism".
In July 2019, a park user, who gave his name as Nathan, said the offensive N-word should not have been displayed publicly.
Nathan also contacted Coventry Police on Twitter about what he described as an example of “hateful racism” and asked how he could report it.
The council, who run the park, said at the time that while it did not condone the language, it could not remove the headstone because it was on listed land.
It is not known exactly when the grave marker at Coombe was removed, but its absence was noticed by one park user earlier this month.
A spokesman for Coventry City Council said: "We can confirm the historical gravestone in memory of a loved pet was removed.
"Our stance on racism is clear and although the gravestone was from another time it is not appropriate today."
Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:43 pm