Sir Geoff Palmer

Sir Geoff, a professor emeritus in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, will chair the group as it investigates links with slavery and colonialism legacy in Edinburgh’s civic realm.

Alongside his academic work, Sir Geoff is a prominent human rights activist and serves as the honorary president of Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), an Edinburgh-based organisation which works to tackle discrimination and promote human rights and equality in the community.

Sir Geoff will lead on recruiting further members in the coming weeks, with the aim of bringing together people from a range of backgrounds and expertise including community leaders and figures from the cultural and arts world, as well as academic representatives. Whilst the membership is delegated to the chair, there is an expected emphasis on having very strong BAME representation.

Due to meet for the first time before the end of the year, the group will consider any features within the council boundary which commemorate those with close links to slavery and colonialism, including, but not limited to, public statues and monuments, street or building names.

As a result of the review, the group will make recommendations to the Council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee on a programme of actions and activities needed to rectify the glorification of slavery and colonialism which these commemorations in the capital represent to many people. The group will consider all options, including removal of statues.

Sir Geoff said: “I regard this appointment as a great honour and duty to work with the Group and the community to ensure that the Council’s aim of fairness and justice to all is realised.”

Council leader Adam McVey said: “I’m delighted to welcome Sir Geoff into his new role as chair of the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Group. He brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and leadership to the post and will be a real asset to the group.

“We have a responsibility to face up to our city’s past, the good and the bad. While this review is about the story of our city, it’s not about statues of people long gone.

“It’s about people who live here now and their experience. The Black Lives Matter movement shone a bright light on structural exclusions faced by people in all areas of life. We are committed to investigating, with communities and partners, where any such exclusions might exist in Edinburgh.”