J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson Back Petition to Put Suffragette Statue in Parliament Square

Following the election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, Emma Watson and J.K. Rowling have signed a petition to erect a statue in honour of suffragettes in Parliament Square.

The square outside the Houses of Parliament in London, U.K. currently only boasts male statues, celebrating bravery, knowledge and contributions to the U.K. This petition states that suffragettes should be honoured outside the institution they were barred from before women’s right to vote was granted due to their courage in speaking and acting out against gender inequality.

Feminist activist and journalist Caroline Criado-Perez wrote the petition, including it in an open letter in The Telegraph today:

“It was only when I reached St James’s Park, that I realised I was already composing the petition text in my head,” she writes. “I accepted a tweet wasn’t going to be enough. I couldn’t let this lie”.

“In two years time, it will be nearly 100 years since women won the argument that our sex does not render us incapable of participating in the running of our country,” she added. “Nearly a century has gone by, and yet Parliament Square continues to tell us that democracy is a man’s world”. 

The open letter has been signed by a number of high-profile women amongst them J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson, who is UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and a Rowling-certified  ‘inspirational woman’.

Caitlin Moran, Bridget Christie and Alison Moyet also signed the petition, along with a number of female MP’s such as Jess Philips, Caroline Lucas and Stella Creasy.

Take a look, and sign the petition here!