Hero damned as fascist

London's new statue of Kiwi, World War II, Battle of Britain hero Sir Keith Park is a "fascist icon", says an English art critic.

Jonathan Jones' comments in Friday's Guardian newspaper blog have sparked outrage.

Park's statue evoked everything that Royal Air Force pilots had fought against, he claimed.

"It is singularly inappropriate because the size of the figure, combined with its military nature, evokes not The Few, but everything they were battling against," Jones wrote.

"It's a fascist icon up there, brooding over the heart of London."

The statue was erected in London's Trafalgar Square last week, beneath Nelson's Column, and unveiled by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Park is one of New Zealand's most highly regarded war veterans and is credited as being one of the most important men in the Battle of Britain.

The statue was the result of a multimillion-dollar campaign to have it sit on the square's famed fourth plinth.

But Jones regarded it as conservative, figurative art - a response to public demand rather than artistic inspiration. "This statue is a monument to saloon-bar fools," he wrote.

Tauranga's Les Munro, the last surviving pilot from the RAF's famous Dam Buster squadron, questioned how anyone could call Park's image "fascist", after everything he had done for Britain.

Park had played a major part in the Battle of Britain, and helped save London and England from major damage from German bombers.

"I can't understand why he [Jones] would denigrate Sir Keith in that form," Munro said.

Auckland district RSA president Gary Walker said the comments were entirely inappropriate and "out of order".

He said Park was respected across the Commonwealth, and Jones' words were an insult to all those that fought in World War II.

New Zealand Warbirds Society general manager Peter Houghton said all their aviators held Sir Park in high regard for and someone to make a statement like that was "pretty audacious" and offensive.

Houghton said Park played a major part in keeping the Luftwaffe at bay and was a "mastermind" of Britain's defence. The statue's location in Trafalgar Square made people aware of the hero's prominence.

New Zealand art critic Hamish Keith said the comments were more focused on the art itself.

There had always been debate on what should occupy the square's fourth plinth, he said, and the comments were just the newest version of the debate.

"He's saying it's a bad piece of art - most art in Trafalgar Square is."

Although Keith said the statement was not in the best taste, he agreed with Jones that the sculpture was unremarkable. "It's dull public art in a square full of dull public art."

A spokeswoman from the statue's campaign declined to comment on Jones' opinions but said the campaign had been a massive process signed off by Westminster and New Zealand Parliaments.

"It's been a major effort supported by tens of thousands of people," she said.