Woke council launches 'slavery walking trail' so locals can learn city's 'deeply uncomfortable history'

Glashow City Council has launched a new "slavery walking trail" in a bid to educate locals about the city's "deeply uncomfortable" past.

The Legacy of Slavery and Colonialism Trail will allow visitors and residents to take in sights such as the City Chambers, Merchant City, Trongate and the Gallery of Modern Art, informing them of how slavery shaped Glasgow.

The Scottish city played a prominent role in the British Empire and is often referred to as its "second city".

But some Glaswegian merchants built their wealth during the 18th and 19th centuries through the cotton, tobacco and sugar trades, which have been linked to the use of slave labour.

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Dozens of streets and landmarks in the city have been linked to slavery by activists, including the famous Buchanan Street.

There are also a number of monuments erected in Glasgow commemorating historic Glaswegians with ties to the trade which have sparked woke uproar before.

The city council says the new trail will show walkers how wealth amassed during this period helped pave for the way for Glasgow's economic boom and shaped its institutions.

Launching the walk, Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken described the city's history as "rich, complex and, at times, deeply uncomfortable".

She said: "Many of Glasgow's glories were built on a legacy of slavery and colonialism.

"The consequences of that legacy for the descendants of enslaved and colonised people continue to this day, whether right here in Glasgow or in other parts of the world.

"This trail encourages Glaswegians to look again at familiar streets, buildings and landmarks, to learn more about parts of Glasgow's history that were overlooked for too long and to gain a fuller picture of the people, industries and institutions that helped shape our city."

Just four years ago, the SNP councillor issued a formal apology on behalf of the city for its role in the slave trade in the wake of the rampant Black Lives Matter protests.

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At the time, it was branded "ridiculous" and "virtue signalling" by Dr Stuart Waiton of Abertay University.

Ms Aitken acknowledged that although a number of the city's residents had rallied against slavery, there were a large number who were historically in favour of the practice.

She said: "The Glasgow we know today wouldn't exist without the labour of enslaved people and it's time to give them their proper place in our story."

Dr Stephen Mullen, a University of Glasgow history lecturer who specialises in the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade, has played a pivotal role in helping shape the new trail.

Despite its role, Glasgow was also a hub for anti-slavery activism - with the Glasgow Anti-Slavery Society founded in 1822.

Prominent abolitionist figures like Frederick Douglass visited to give lectures to large audiences to boost support for outlawing the practice.

The slave trade was abolished in Britain with the passing of the Slave Trade Act in 1807, and the practice outlawed throughout the empire with the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

At the time, Britain used 40 per cent of its entire national budget to buy freedom for all slaves in the Empire - with the final payment being made just 11 years ago.

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