Nelson Mandela Statue Unveiled In London

A statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela has been unveiled in London's Parliament Square today.

The unveiling of the bronze 9ft high statue was attended by Mr Mandela, his wife Graca Machel, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and London Mayor Ken Livingstone, among others.

The statue is facing the Houses of Parliament, alongside others of great leaders such as Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli and Abraham Lincoln.

The Prime Minister said that the statue would act as a "beacon of hope" and showed the world that "no injustice can last forever". Mr Brown said that he wished to salute Mr Mandela's "goodness" as well as his greatness, and that it was thanks to his fight from a prison cell that "millions are now free".

Mr Mandela said that it was an "honour" to see the unveiling of the statue and that he believed it would symbolise "all those who resisted occupation".

Yesterday, the Prime Minister called Mr Mandela "the most inspiring, greatest and most courageous leader of our generation".

Mr Mandela, now 89, was imprisoned in 1963 on a charge of plotting to overthrow the government. Shortly after his release in 1990 he became leader of the African National Congress and began a political campaign based on a message of reconciliation.

In 1993, Mr Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with then president F.W. De Klerk. Following the country's first full democratic election in 1994 he was elected President and went on to oversee the peaceful transition from minority rule and apartheid.

(KMcA/SP)