Anti-racism demonstration in Bristol: unbolted, the statue of a slave owner could end up at the museum

The spectacular debunking of the statue of a slave merchant who died in the 18th century in Bristol, in the south-west of England, caused outrage from the government. The mayor of the city said Monday he wanted to return it to the museum rather than reinstall it.

Erected in 1895 on a street that bears his name, this bronze statue of Edward Colston was ripped from its pedestal on Sunday by ropes pulled by a group of protesters following the death of George Floyd in the United States. They then trampled it and threw it into the river port, according to images broadcast by the British media.

This happened a few moments ago.
The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down. pic.twitter.com/E0BUxVHonc

"As an elected official, I obviously cannot tolerate the damage and I am very concerned about the implications of a mass rally on the possibility of a second wave" of new coronavirus contaminations, "said Marvin Rees, the Labor mayor of Bristol, a city with a slave past.

"But I am of Jamaican origin and I cannot say that I have a real feeling of loss for the statue," he continued, explaining that he saw it as a "personal affront". Speaking on local radio BBC Radio Bristol, he said it was "highly likely" that the statue would end up in the museum.

While condemning its illegal debunking, the Historic England Heritage Protection Association said it recognized that "the statue was a symbol of injustice": "We do not think it should be reinstalled". The maintenance of this statue had been debated for years.

Churchill targeted in London

While condemning the way she was debunked, Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer said she "should have been debunked for years": "He's a man responsible for sending 100,000 people from Africa to the Caribbean to become slaves, including women and children, with the name of his company on his chest. ”

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Another statue was targeted on Sunday in the UK: that of the former Conservative Prime Minister Winston Churchill and hero of the Second World War, in front of the Parliament in London: the inscription "was a racist" was affixed under his name on the base.

They've defaced Churchill! pic.twitter.com/rkINK4oac6

Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the outbursts during the weekend's anti-racist protests, which he said were committed by "thugs who betray the cause they claim to serve", without commenting on the debunking of the statue.