For better or worse, Belfast is a city filled with symbols.

Some are almost universally adored. The Big Fish sits quietly along the banks of the Lagan while tourists photograph its ceramic scales.

The Beacon of Hope sculpture, better known as Nuala with the Hula, towers above the city centre with her hoop outstretched towards the river.

The Spirit of Belfast watches over Cornmarket, while CS Lewis’s Searcher sculpture in east Belfast draws Narnia fans from across the world.

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Others, however, are much more divisive.

From the recent Bobby Sands statue in Twinbrook to the Lord Carson monument at Stormont, public spaces are layered with reminders of political identities, historical conflict and uncomfortable chapters many would rather forget.

Earlier this week, The Irish News reported that cleaning the Queen Victoria statue outside the Royal Victoria Hospital,........

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