Ealing Council in talks to rename Havelock Road to Guru Nanak Road

Council Leader of the London borough of Ealing Julian Bell has opened up consultation talks for the renaming of Havelock Road, Southall to Guru Nanak Road, after the first Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Southall has one of the most densely populated Sikh communities in the world, and Havelock Road is home to the most visited Gurdwara in Europe, Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall. The road is currently named after Henry Havelock, a major general in the British army who was part of the East Indian Company which led Britain’s invasion of India. He fought in battles with native forces in Lucknow and Allahbad.

✊ We lit the Town Hall purple in solidarity with our BAME communities
✊ We welcome the review of public spaces, road names, and statues
✊ We are consulting with residents to change Havelock Road to Guru Nanak Road

Watch full statement: https://t.co/SAl3G9xmDt

— Julian Bell (@juliangbell) June 10, 2020

“Our diversity is our strength, and we need to make sure that in our public realm, our statues, roadnames and buildings reflect our diversity, and not reflect a frozen past where colonialism, racism and the slave trade were present and celebrated,” said Bell.

He added that Ealing council will conduct a review of its public spaces across the borough.

“And in that spirit I want to announce today that we will begin that process of consultation, very shortly, in order to change the name of Havelock Road in Southall to Guru Nanak Road.”

He added that the name change will be part of the 550 year celebrations of the birth of Guru Nanak.

Today @EalingLabour announced our intention to rename Havelock Road, Southall as Guru Nanak Road, in honour of the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Discussions had already been underway, but #BlackLivesMatter makes the moment even more important to proceed… pic.twitter.com/mYg2nO3X7P

— Peter Mason (@_petermason) June 10, 2020

“This will symbolise the huge contribution of the Sikh community in Ealing, our diversity as a borough, and it will represent our unity as a borough too.”

Sikh activism group the National Sikh Youth Federation (NSYF) together with Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Southall launched a campaign to change the name of Havelock Road in 2018, to better reflect the identity of the road and town.

Massive announcement for the Sikh community, as Eailing leader Cllr Jullian bill announces changing Havelock Road to Guru Nanak Road in Southall, UK is in consultation. @sgsssouthall
⁣#Sikh #Southall⁣
⁣ pic.twitter.com/9qtDrssY3Q

— Shere Panjab (@SherePanjabUK) June 10, 2020

Bell added that the council lit up the town hall purple in a tribute to George Floyd, a black American whose killing at the hands of Minneapolis Police has sparked protests and riots across the USA.

He said that the council “stands in solidarity with the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities in Ealing, London and across the world” and recently met with council leaders, Metropolitan police officers and the deputy mayor for police to discuss the how the police must be more transparent and held to account over their use of stop and search, tazers and other uses of force.

Elated to learn, Havelock Road which houses Europe’s largest #Sikh Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, West London will be renamed Guru Nanak Road after the founder of Sikhism.

Thank you @EalingCouncil @juliangbell & @MayorofLondon @SadiqKhan!

https://t.co/lwOZJzaxXJ

— Harjinder Singh Kukreja (@SinghLions) June 10, 2020