A new petition on Change.org is demanding that the city of St. Louis, Missouri change its name and take down a statue that honors King Louis IX of France, the city’s namesake.

The petition opens by pointing out how successful the “New Civil Rights Movement” has been in forcing the removal of various statues of controversial figures. That’s why those behind this petition say it’s time for the statue of the French king to be removed as well.

“Over the past several years beginning with the killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, America has underwent a New Civil Rights Movement,” the petition states. “Part of this movement has been removing statues of racists, slavemasters, and Confederates from public spaces. In 2017 St. Louis removed the Confederate Monument in Forest Park after protests. In 2020 the statue of Christopher Columbus was removed from Tower Grove Park. It is now time for St. Louis to take the bold step to remove the statue of King Louis IX from Forest Park and rename the city.”

Originally unveiled in 1906, the statue is currently located on Art Hill in front of the St. Louis Art Museum, according to KMOX.

The petition goes on to claim that both the statue and the name of the Missouri city are “an outright disrespect” to both Muslims and Jews, as King Louis IX was allegedly a “rabid anti-Semite” who persecuted Jews and whose life was an “inspiration” to Nazis.

“For those unfamiliar with King Louis IX he was a rabid anti-Semite who spearheaded many persecutions against the Jewish people,” reads the petition. “Centuries later Nazi Germany gained inspiration and ideas from Louis IX as they embarked on a campaign of murderous genocide against the Jewish people. Louis IX was also vehemently Islamophobic and led a murderous crusade against Muslims which ultimately cost him his life.”

It should be noted that King Louis IX is the only French king to be canonized by the Catholic Church. It remains to be seen whether or not cancel culture will be successful in erasing him.