COVE

The first memorial to the Peterloo Massacre was a blue plaque placed in 1972. It was since criticized for avoiding the fact that anyone died and not calling the event what it was: a massacre. The red plaque replaced the blue plaque in 2007 and accurately identifies the event as a massacre of a peaceful democratic gathering. This plaque claims the deaths at 15 and injuries at over 600. Then, in 2019, 200 years after the massacre, the city quietly unveils a monument made by Jeremy Deller. The monument has 11 steps and inscriptions bearing the names of 18 people who died. While the monument itself can be considered a victory for memorizing the march for worker's rights, the city was criticized for the lack of fanfare associated with other monuments. Additionally, the monument itself has been criticized for not being accessible for the disabled: As it’s currently designed, everybody is stood at the top speaking down to disabled people at the bottom. If you wanted the worst metaphor for inequality, there it is" (The Guardian, 2019).

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/aug/13/britishidentity.artnews

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/dec/27/past.politics

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/13/peterloo-memorial-jeremy...