Dozens of Black Lives Matter activists gathered outside the Home Museum in Hoxton, east London, on Saturday to demand its board of trustees removes a statue of Sir Robert Geffrye (1613-1703) which stands above the building’s main entrance.

The statue has stood over the museum since 1912 after Geffrye’s money paid for the building in the 17th century.

Protesters and activists, including Hackney MP Diane Abbott, called on the museum to remove the statue over Geffrye’s involvement in the North Atlantic Slave Trade.

The government, via its Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, has said it believes “removing statues, artwork and other historical objects is not the right approach.”

The museum itself has acknowledged that Geffrye “profited directly from the buying and selling of human beings” and that his profits were “very likely to fund the core part of his legacy.”

Activists tore down a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol last year, sparking a national debate of their status in modern British society.