During the International Sea Shanty Festival, a dedicated group of campaigners picketed Falmouth’s King Charles the Martyr Church, centred on the town’s high street. From Friday to Sunday, activists engaged the public, held signs for passers-by, and spoke to the press regarding their plans to launch a boycott against live events in the church. The primary reason for the boycott, they say, is to call for the removal of KCM’s memorial to slave trader Thomas Corker.

The memorial has been the subject of years of campaigning, intensifying after the zenith of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. This included the installation of a blue plaque by activists, meetings with diocesan spokespersons, and a recent demonstration that saw belligerent churchgoers facing down protesters. The most recent development has seen the planned removal stalled due to “challenges” – namely, the inability to find a suitable alternative location for the memorial.

In response, protests began on the weekend of Falmouth’s annual Sea Shanty Festival. The festival brings thousands to Cornwall each year and is a key event in the celebration of Cornish heritage, but campaigners say the festival misses the importance of the history:

“The reason we decided to come to the church during the Sea Shanty Festival is obviously because of the link between shanties and the slave trade, and the work songs of the slaves with shanties.”

When asked about the plans to boycott live events, including those hosted by the Cornish Bank events space and the Greenbank Hotel, campaigners told Cobblestone Media that “most people have been supportive of the boycott”. Indeed, live events hosted by businesses and organisations at KCM have caused the fiercest disagreements, with one episode seeing Your Party condemned by Black Voices Cornwall for their plans to host a rally in the church.

Activists see the campaign as a continuation of Colston’s toppling in Bristol, 2020. Rob Burns, a local civil rights spokesperson stated:

“There is a lot to learn from ‘Colston’. In Bristol, it’s now in a museum, with proper history all over it – truthful history. The monument in KCM Church is a lie, and the people of Bristol have shown the way. Maybe if we had a museum and a story here, the church would gain a lot more credibility.”

Edward Colston Statue, M Shed museum, (Via: Ben Birchall/PA Wire).

Former Councillor for Falmouth Arwenack ward, Zoe Young added:

“The action with the Colston statue in Bristol was one of the best pieces of art that I’ve ever seen in a long time in this country. At a community-planned solidarity action, they dumped it into the harbour.”

Ultimately, they hope to see a museum opened in the local community, dedicated to Falmouth’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, both its profiteering from and abolitionist fight against it. Arguing for a more open history, Young said:

“I think Falmouth needs a museum. There is some history here that is unspoken and needs bringing to the surface. Some of the weird nastiness that’s under that surface needs to be purged out – this town really needs to face up to its history.

“I’ve heard a lot of people thanking us for being here, and that’s important. The Church and the Town will be thanked in future if they choose to step up now.”

Featured Image via: Cobblestone Media.