Bristol Black Lives Matter protest organisers say slave trader statue toppling 'long overdue'

Protesters threw the statue into Bristol harbour yesterday
PA

Bristol Black Lives Matter protest organisers have said the toppling of Edward Colston's statue was "long overdue" and other slave-owner memorials around the country are likely to follow.

A statue of the 17th-century slave trader was torn down during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in Bristol before it was dragged through the streets and thrown into the city's harbour.

A long-running campaign in the city has argued that Colston's "toxic" legacy should not be commemorated, and his statue should be removed.

Campaigners have also called for University of Bristol halls of residence named after the trader to be renamed.

The march on Sunday saw more than 10,000 people of all backgrounds take to the city's streets following just a few weeks of organising by young people.

Organiser Liza Bilal, a 21-year-old student, told the Standard her team had not originally planned for the statue to be torn down - but welcomed it.

The statue is likely to be fished out of the harbour and placed in the city's museum
PA

She said: "Am I sad that a statue of a known slave trader got torn down? I can't say that I am.

"This was long overdue. The council not listening to the people of Bristol resulted in this - the people themselves tearing the statue down.

"The sentiment of the march itself - us saying that we have had enough - I think that was what spurred a lot of people to tear it down. It was the start.

"I wouldn't be surprised at all if I saw more of this [statue-toppling] across the country happening now."

Videos posted on social media showing crowds jumping on the memorial and covering it in red paint have gone viral.

Home Secretary Patel has called the act "utterly disgraceful" and called for a full investigation. Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said on the Today programme this morning: "I hope prosecutions will follow."

In Parliament Square yesterday the statue of Winston Churchill was also defaced as thousands of people turned out to protest against racism and police brutality after the death of George Floyd.

Protesters trampled the statue underfoot and covered it with red paint
PA

Mr Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis, died on May 25 after a white officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Ms Bilal said the response about the statue being toppled from politicians shows they are "misguided" about how people living in multicultural cities feel.

She said: "I do understand that tearing down that statue is illegal. There are many things that have been illegal before that we as people have come to understand were actually the right thing to do.

"I'm not saying laws around vandalism should change, but I am saying that the statue being torn down is a conversation that is so much larger than being about 'is this vandalism or not'.

"If you criticise the people as opposed to thinking about the larger nuances of the conversation, I think you're extremely misguided."

The student also said the lack of violence at the Bristol protests proved BLM demonstrations can be entirely peaceful - and showed the power of young people to force change.

She added: "I'm so proud of the fact that we didn't have any physical violence between protesters, or between protesters and police with 10,000 plus people there.

"It proves these protests can be peaceful... We can mobilise and come together and act almost like a well-oiled machine.

"We have a generation of young people who are really serious about bringing about change."

Campaigns had been running for years to have the statue removed from its position
PA

It comes as the city's Mayor Marvin Rees told Sky News that the statue will likely be re-housed in a museum and could be displayed with protesters' placards.

Mr Rees, the UK’s first directly elected black mayor, also described the tearing down of the statue as an “iconic moment”.

The student said the inclusion of protesters' placards in any museum exhibit would be "a good reflection on the fact that the people of Bristol have a voice and have the power to change this city", and insisted any museum placing for Colston's statue would "only be acceptable if the description attached acknowledged his past as a slave trader, for the purpose of educating people".

Shadow Justice secretary David Lammy also said this morning that part of the solution will be to put these controversial statues in museums with "proper context", so they can be remembered but not celebrated.

He said: "The time has come to look at these statues and say is it now right to celebrate these people?"

First erected in 1895, the statue originally bore a plaque making no mention of Colston's role in the slave trade. It read: "Erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city."

Avon and Somerset Police has launched a probe to identify "a small group of people who clearly committed an act of criminal damage".

The protests occurred over the weekend despite warnings from the Health Secretary and NHS leaders that mass protests risk spreading the coronavirus further and break current rules. Organisers have said protesters should "not be made to choose" and had to work to tackle "both crises".

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