Mandela statue unveiled in London

LONDON, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A 9-foot-tall bronze statue of South African anti-apartheid leader and former President Nelson Mandela was unveiled Wednesday in London.

Mandela, 89, his wife Graca Machel, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and London Mayor Ken Livingstone were among the dignitaries who witnessed the tribute at Parliament Square, the BBC reported.

"Humanity's greatest causes are embodied in the cause of the South African people against apartheid, the cause of the struggle against tyranny," Livingstone said.

A trustee of the Mandela Statue Fund, Richard Attenborough, introduced Mandela to the thousands of onlookers.

"I find it absolutely wonderful that it stands in the opposite corner to (former British Prime Minister Winston) Churchill, who was this great man of war and wonderful courage and determination and belief in his feelings," Attenborough said.

The Mandela statue stands alongside images of other leaders such as former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, the report said.