Scotland fans adorn Boston statues with traffic cone hats

Scotland fans visiting Boston for the World Cup have been decorating the city's statues with bright orange traffic cones, a mischievous tradition familiar to Glaswegians. The practice, which has been a staple of Glasgow's identity since the 1980s, has bemused locals and drawn attention to several monuments.

Tradition crosses the Atlantic

The tradition originated in Glasgow, where the Duke of Wellington statue outside the Gallery of Modern Art has worn a traffic cone at a jaunty angle for decades. The cone has become an iconic part of the city's identity and even inspired graffiti artist Banksy. Now, an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Scotland fans have brought the custom to Boston, which is known as the "birthplace of the American Revolution" and is filled with historic monuments.

Statues targeted

Among the statues receiving the cone treatment is the Arms of Friendship statue at Charlestown Navy Yard. Designed by artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, the artwork features a 36-foot (11-meter) long bronze octopus holding up endangered animals including an elephant and a gorilla. A couple of miles east, on Faneuil Hall Square, a statue of former Boston mayor Kevin White was also adorned. White, a Democrat who served four terms from 1968 to 1984, governed during a tumultuous period of racial conflict. According to the Boston Globe, there was debate about whether the 10-foot statue was tall enough when it was installed in the mid-2000s. "Perhaps the Tartan Army thought he deserved an extra foot or two," one observer noted.

The statue of Boston Celtics basketball legend Bill Russell at City Hall Plaza also received a cone. Brendan McGillicuddy, 26, a Boston resident, told the BBC he admired the addition on his way to work. "I welcome it," he said. "I have no idea what it means but it's a nice little symbol of Scotland. It's a mark to say Scotland was here. I never realised it was a thing before the World Cup. I'd heard of the Tartan Army but not the cone thing. I'm here for it though."

Fan reactions and official response

By Wednesday afternoon, Boston authorities had started removing the traffic cones from statues, but fans continued the practice. Alistair Blake, from Glasgow, and his two sons gave interviews while wearing their own traffic cone hats. Blake started wearing them at the Euros as a bit of fun and a way for his sons to spot him in crowds. He said: "It's a friendly Glaswegian gesture. I think you see it more here because there's so many statues. We don't get very far without someone stopping us and asking for a picture. They think it's fun and want to know the symbolism behind it."

Origins of the tradition

The tradition dates back to the 1980s, when late-night revellers began placing traffic cones on the Duke of Wellington statue in Glasgow. Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, is famous for defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and later serving as prime minister. The Category-A listed statue, sculpted by Italian artist Carlo Marochetti, was erected in 1844 and depicts the duke on his favorite horse, Copenhagen. For years, locals battled the council over the cone's placement. The council argued that the statue had been minorly damaged and raised concerns about injury when placing cones. They reminded locals that the act was "vandalism," and police warned of criminal charges. However, the prank persisted, and any attempts to remove the cone were quickly thwarted, with a replacement appearing within days. Today, images of the cone-topped statue are used to promote Glasgow and appear on posters, coasters, and key rings.