Public mural and COVID-19 memorial in London, U.K.
Section of the National Covid Memorial Wall, April 2021
The National Covid Memorial Wall in London is a public mural painted by volunteers to commemorate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[1] Started in March 2021 and stretching more than one-third mile (five hundred metres) along the South Bank of the River Thames, opposite the Palace of Westminster,[2] and just outside St Thomas' Hospital, the mural consists of thousands of red and pink hearts, intending to have one heart for each of the approximately 150,000 casualties of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom at the time of the mural's commencement.[3] The intent was for each heart to be "individually hand-painted; utterly unique, just like the loved ones we’ve lost".[4] The mural was organized by campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, with the help of the campaign group Led By Donkeys, and painting first commenced in the week encompassing the end of March 2021.[4][5]
Reactions
On 29 March 2021, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer visited the mural, which he described as a "remarkable memorial", before calling on Boris Johnson to visit the mural personally and engage with the families of the deceased.[3] Johnson later visited the wall for "quiet reflection" and was criticised by the co-founder of the group, who said that the visit, which did not include a meeting with bereaved families, was "a late evening visit under cover of darkness ... a cynical and insincere move that is deeply hurtful".[6][7]
Future of the mural
As of April 2021, the mural was not considered finished, as volunteers intended to continue to add hearts to match the UK's COVID-19 death toll.[8] In April, plans were reported of using digital scanning technology to count the number of hearts on the wall.[9]
While the original plan for the unauthorised mural included provision to clean the area after a period of time,[3] some campaigners have argued that the mural should remain indefinitely as a permanent memorial.[8][2] The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had previously promised a "fitting and permanent" memorial to those who died from COVID-19 after the conclusion of the pandemic.[4]
