Protestors supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in Bristol, England toppled a statue erected in honor of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston and dumped it into the city’s harbor. The statue, which stood at the center of Bristol for 125 years before, served as a reminder of its racist heritage and was removed on Sunday, June 7.
Edward Colston statue pulled down by BLM protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol. #BlackLivesMattters #blmbristol #ukprotests pic.twitter.com/JEwk3qKJx2
— Jack Grey (@_jackgrey) June 7, 2020
- Colston is believed to have trafficked more than 84,000 people from Africa. Colston was born in 1636 and was deputy governor of the Royal African Company, during which time he is believed to have ripped more than 84,000 men, women, and children from their homes to bring to England and the Caribbean. It’s estimated that 19,000 died on the journey. After his tenure, the slave trader became a Conservative MP for Bristol, hence his statue in the city.
- The statue of Colston was long overdue for removal. It was 71-year-old John McAllister who removed the pin bags which hid the statue, allowing crowds to tie a rope around it and pull it down. “It says ‘erected by the citizens of Bristol, as a memorial to one of the most virtuous and wise sons of this city,'” McAllister said as per The Independent. “The man was a slave trader. He was generous to Bristol but it was off the back of slavery and it’s absolutely despicable. It’s an insult to the people of Bristol.”
- The statue wasn’t the only homage to Colston in Bristol. Colston also has three schools, several streets, and even a baked good named in his honor, the Colston bun. However, the statue’s presence served as a daily reminder of Bristol’s racist past and had to go. Previously, a petition was lodged to remove the statue and gained over 11,000 signatures.
- The slave trader’s statue is now right where it belongs: at the bottom of the harbor. May other monuments and statues follow the same journey out of public sight.
The moment a statue of slave trader Edward Colston toppled into Bristol’s harbour. ‘It’s what he deserves. I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment’ someone told me in the moments after. pic.twitter.com/6juqVrsJ6V
— Sarah Turnnidge (@sarah_turnnidge) June 7, 2020
