Queen's medal branded racist for portraying scene 'that resembles George Floyd killing'
The medal of one of the highest honours bestowed by the Queen has been accused of encouraging racism because it appears to depict a white man standing on the neck of a black man.
The scene in the centre of the badge of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George depicts the Archangel Michael defeating Satan. However, the presentation of the scene has been compared to the murder of George Floyd, the black American killed by a white police officer in May, which sparked the Black Lives Matter protests worldwide.
One of the recipients of the honour, the Governor General of Jamaica Sir Patrick Allen, has said he will no longer wear the award and called for it to be redesigned.
His spokesman said: “This follows concerns raised by citizens over the image on the medal, and the growing global rejection of the use of objects that normalise the continued degradation of people of colour.”
The call for it to be redesigned has also been backed by the Monty Python star Sir Michael Palin who received his knighthood last year when he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St George and St Michael (KCMG) for “services to travel, culture and geography”.
An online petition calling for the badge to be re-designed has been signed by more than 16,000 people.
The honour is mostly presented to senior diplomats including ambassadors and Foreign Office officials as well as Commonwealth leaders. The order was instituted in 1818 by the Prince Regent, later King George IV, for service in the Mediterranean but was later expanded to include any non-military service overseas.
Membership of the order is limited to 65 at any one time. The Queen herself has worn its impressive badge for official functions. The order has three ranks, the highest of which is Knight Grand Cross (GCMG) followed by Knight Commander (KCMG) and Companion (CMG). In the case of female recipients Knight is replaced by Dame. In the civil service and foreign office the CMG is jokingly referred to as “Call Me God”, the KCMG as “Kindly Call Me God” and GCMG as “God Calls Me God”.
Over the years the enamel badge, which has been made by some of Britain’s top jewellers including Garrard who hold a Royal warrant, has varied slightly in design. Some examples show Satan as lighter skinned but the majority depict him as dark. The Archangel is always white.
Sir Michael said that while the Satan figure on his badge is light skinned he supports calls for a redesign after seeing other examples. He said: “Though the image on my award is of a white Satan being vanquished, I think that depicted is inappropriate and offensive and I would back the Governor-General of Jamaica’s call for it to be re-designed.”
Bumi Thomas, a Nigerian British singer who is among those who have criticised the design, said: “Wearing a badge blatantly depicting the inferiority of people with dark skin is completely inappropriate especially in settings where Britain’s diplomats are meeting world leaders across the colour spectrum.”
She added: “It is not a demon, it is a black man in chains with a white, blue-eyed figure standing on his neck.
“It is literally what happened to George Floyd and what has been happening to black people for centuries. It is the definition of institutional racism that this image is not only permitted but celebrated on one of the country’s highest honours."
The petition on change.org was started by Tracy Reeve who said: “This highly offensive image is reminiscent of the recent murder of George Floyd by the white policeman in the same manner presented on this medal. “We are calling for this medal to be completely redesigned in a more appropriate way and for an official apology for the offence it has given.”
Sir Simon Woolley, a founder of Operation Black Vote which campaigns for greater representation of ethnic minorities in public life, said: “It is shocking that that image could be presented to ambassadors representing this country abroad. It symbolises everything that Black Lives Matter are campaigning against.”
Buckingham Palace said the design was the responsibility of the Cabinet Office which did not reply to requests for comment.
