Failings of founder are a lesson, says Chief Scout Bear Grylls
Chief Scout has said that the movement cannot deny its founder Lord Baden-Powell's "failings" but should learn from them.
Bear Grylls says Scouting needs to be aware of its past and Baden-Powell's role, and that "history is nothing if we do not learn from it".
The adventurer and TV presenter explained: "Baden-Powell may have taken the first step in creating Scouting, but the journey continues today without him. We know where we came from but we are not going back."
Grylls' comments come after a row over whether a statue of Baden-Powell should be removed from its place in Poole harbour because of his espousal of some far-Right ideas.
The local council planned to remove the monument because of fears it would become a target for anti-racist activists. But protesters, many former Scouts, thwarted the removal by forming a ring around the statue.
Writing for The Telegraph, Grylls said the Scouting movement had to acknowledge Baden-Powell's vision in bringing together young people "to learn how to celebrate their differences, to love and protect the outdoor world, to serve communities, and to be empowered with skills for life".
But he admitted that Baden-Powell was far from perfect and said Scouting had moved on since it was founded.
He writes: "As Scouts, we most certainly do not celebrate Baden-Powell for his failings. We see them and we acknowledge them. And if he were here today we would disagree with him on many things, of that there is no doubt. And I suspect he would too."
Grylls says that while being grateful to Baden-Powell, the Scouting movement "must also evolve", explaining that for that reason he supports the protests against racism that followed the killing of African-American George Floyd by a white policeman in Minneapolis.
"This is why I wholeheartedly stand beside the righteous anger unleashed by the killing of George Floyd, and together we must all do what we can to right the awful injustices that BAME communities live with every day," he writes.
The statue of Baden-Powell was installed in 2008 and faces Brownsea Island, off Poole, Dorset, where the Scout movement began.
Declassified MI5 files revealed in 2010 that Baden-Powell was invited to meet Hitler after holding friendly talks about forming closer ties with the Hitler Youth. He has also been accused of holding racist and homophobic views.
Following the toppling of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, the Baden-Powell monument was one of more than 60 that appeared on a "Topple the Racists" hit list. The list says he "committed atrocities against the Zulus in his military career and was a Nazi/fascist sympathiser".
Vikki Slade, the leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, said at that time: "While famed for the creation of the Scouts, we also recognise there are some aspects of Robert Baden-Powell's life that are considered less worthy of commemoration."
Grylls writes: "This last week, people have expressed much confusion and anger at the possible removal of a statue of Lord Baden-Powell in Poole.
"To me, and many Scouts, Brownsea Island (the place that the statue looks out on) is a reminder of that great Scouting vision that has since helped so many young people gain vital, life-enhancing skills.
"It's right we take time to listen, to educate ourselves and reflect on our movement's history.
"We need the humility to recognise there are times when the views and actions from our Scouting's past do not always match the values we live by today.
"We must learn, adapt, and improve."
