Taylor Swift calls for removal of 'racist historical figures' statues in Tennessee

Taylor Swift has  demanded the lawmakers in her home state of Tennessee to remove all public statues of "racist historical figures" and "white supremacists."

The 'Shake It Off' singer's  statement comes after statues around the world have been pulled down by demonstrators amid protests following the death of American George Floyd

The 30-year-old singer, in a lengthy Instagram post,  has addressed the Capital Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission asking  that the organizations "consider the implications of how hurtful it would be to continue fighting for these monuments. When you fight to honor racists, you show black Tennesseans and all of their allies where you stand, and you continue this cycle of hurt. You can’t change history, but you can change this. "

The Grammy winner went on to say it makes her “sick” to see the monuments that “celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things,” name dropping “despicable figures” like “white supremacist newspaper editor” Edward Carmack and slave trader-turned-KKK Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest.

“We need to retroactively change the status of people who perpetuated hideous patterns of racism from heroes to villains,”  adding that “And villains don’t deserve statues.”

Protesters in both the US and UK have been toppling statues of controversial historical figures throughout the month of June, most recently in Camden, New Jersey, where a figure of Christopher Columbus was beheaded.