The headstone to a dog with a racist name which has been dead for over a century has been removed.
The dog, named the ’n word’ was buried in Coombe Abbey Park after it died in July 1902, and the marker placed in its memory.
Initially Coventry City Council refused to move the offensive gravestone citing that it was on listed land and would be better preserved as a tool for educating people on racism.
This year the authority decided racism can be taught without this, and announced its removal.
It comes at a time when institutions across the country are re-considering statues and monuments in the wake of the Black Lives Matter civil rights campaign.
A spokesman for the council said: ‘We can confirm the historical gravestone in memory of a loved pet was removed.
‘Our stance on racism is clear and although the gravestone was from another time it is not appropriate today.’
‘The reason why the memorial was not taken down last year was due to it being located on listed land, while the council also believed it could educate locals and tourists about racism.’
Locals had pushed for the stones removal for sometime, the Coventry Telegraph reports.
Identifying himself only as Nathan, one man said: ‘It’s a shame Coombe Abbey and Coventry Police didn’t take action when they were first alerted.
‘It’s a shame that they had to wait until BLM is all over the news before they took action. They could have just done what is right in the beginning.’
Not everybody was pleased to see it removed, with Lisa Pickering telling the MailOnline losing the stone would strip the city of its history.
She said: ‘This is just getting beyond an absolute joke now.
‘I remember seeing that when I was about five-years-old and I’m 34 now.
‘Leave history alone, whether it be a grave or a statue, before this city has no history left.’
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