Hundreds of Caribbean Twitter users continue to voice their strong disapproval/confusion to what officials in London deemed a ‘tribute’ to the Windrush Generation after the permanent public monument was unveiled recently.

The monument, created out of solid marble and bronze by Montserrat artist Veronica Ryan, was meant to celebrate the contributions Caribbean migrants played in rebuilding the United Kingdom after World War II but failed to resonate with Twitter users who called the ‘tribute’ insulting.

According to Artnet.com, the sculptures were unveiled in the East London borough of Hackney last Friday (October 1) and featured larger-than-life representations of breadfruit, soursop and sweetsop—fruits widely consumed by West Indian households in the UK.

“The works have been installed at a time during when the public has increasingly questioned who is represented and celebrated in our built environment, and amid a growing demand for London’s monuments to reflect the diversity of its communities,” Artnet London news editor Naomi Rea wrote.

The Hackney Council is said to have commissioned the monument alongside arts organisation Create London as part of its Black History Season. The sculptures can be found near St Augustine’s Tower and the Ridley Road Market.

Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville lauded the project, arguing that the works form part of the council’s wider public programme about Windrush, including street exhibitions that highlight compelling community stories from the generation of migrants and their descendants.

More reactions:

“It is incredibly important that we have public art that anyone can identify with,” the mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, said. “Veronica’s piece will be in the heart of Hackney and will be seen by thousands each day. I have no doubt that it will become a meeting point and a topic of conversation and, in the process, will help keep alive the story of the Windrush generation and their descendants for many years to come.”

The ‘feel-good’ sentiment was lost on Caribbean Twitter users, many of whom were confused about how the fruits connected to the Windrush Generation in any way other than to stereotype people of colour.

Many took issue with the fact that the fruits seemed to serve as “recognition” even as people died awaiting compensation from the damning Windrush Scandal.

Others were wrongfully deported, an injustice which still continues, and never granted a return to the country they (and their children) helped to rebuild.

A few of the Twitterati laughed in disbelief, while some contended that the monument reflects just how the British system views the Windrush Generation… cast aside, unappreciated and disregarded.

More still, refused to acknowledge the ‘tribute’ at all; calling the sculptures disrespectful to West Indians while there were those who used the opportunity to renew calls for the UK to pay its former Caribbean colonies reparations for slavery.