Britons were accused of “intellectual laziness” for not bringing down the famous statue in central London sooner. Violent protests broke out in Virginia last week in an angry dispute over the removal of a statue of confederate figure General Lee. One person was killed and dozens injured in the riots after right-wing protestors took to the streets in a rally against the decision and clashes with counter-demonstrators. Now statues across the world could see the same fate - with London’s monument to Lord Nelson which towers over Trafalgar Square being the latest to face calls for the chop. But the demands have provoked a furious response from politicians who claim the removal would be ‘un-British’.

GETTY Lord Nelson's column in London faces calls to be toppled

GETTY Around 700 confederate statues have been pulled down in the US

In an opinion piece on the Guardian website, columnist Afua Hirsch argued it “is figures like Nelson who immediately sing to mind” when hearing the latest about the 700-odd confederate statues which have been pulled down in the US. She wrote that while the reaction in Britain to the Charlottesville incident is “almost entirely condemnatory of neo-Nazis in the US”, the “colonial and pro-slavery titans of British history are still memorialised” in the UK. Highlighting monuments such as Lord Nelson’s tower, along with one celebrating notorious slaver Edward Colston in Bristol, she suggested the angry tone seems to disappear. Ms Hirsch wrote: “We have ‘moved on’ from this era no more than the US has from its slavery and segregationist past. READ MORE: Who is Robert E Lee? The statue at the centre of Charlottesville unrest

GETTY Calls to topple Lord Nelson have been dubbed 'un British'

TWITTER Nigel Farage was angered by the comments

TWITTER Hannan has previously condemned a campaign to topple a statue of Cecil Rhodes

Iconic colour images of the world's greatest landmarks Mon, August 21, 2017 The world's greatest landmarks under construction as you've never seen them before. Stunning digitally enhanced pictures show how the construction of these sights would have looked in colour. Play slideshow HERITAGE IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES 1 of 10 Tower Bridge was begun in 1881 and opened in 1894, to designs by Sir Horace Jones













Shocking that The Guardian are encouraging this. The left really do hate Britain Nigel Farage

“The difference is that America is now in the midst of frenzied debate on what to do about it, whereas Britain – in our inertia, arrogance and intellectual laziness – is not.” The article sparked outrage among some Britons, with former Ukip leader Nigel Farage tweeting: “Shocking that The Guardian are encouraging this. The left really do hate Britain.” While MEP Dan Hannan added: “Now, it seems, #NelsonMustFall. This is where competitive virtue signalling leads.” Mr Hannan has previously condemned a campaign to topple a statue of Oxford University’s Cecil Rhodes as he criticised “the cowardice of the authorities” for failing to stand up to activists.

REUTERS Donald Trump faced criticism for failing to condemn the violence