The Battle of St Louis

Saint or sinner? Recent demonstrations in the American city of St. Louis are just the latest battle for the legacy of a medieval French king. 

Louis statue, St. Louis, Missouri. Bill Grant/Alamy.
Louis statue, St. Louis, Missouri. Bill Grant/Alamy.

Protesters gathered in June 2020 at the foot of the monumental equestrian statue of Louis IX of France that stands in front of the Art Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. Crossing out the word ‘Saint’, they scrawled ‘persecutor’ and ‘loser’ (among other less publishable comments) on the pedestal. Their aim was to make Louis IX the latest historical figure to have his statue toppled as part of the global Black Lives Matter movement. 

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