fbpx
Wikipedia

Statue of Edward Colston

January 01, 1970

The statue of Edward Colston is a bronze statue of Bristol-born merchant and trans-Atlantic slave trader Edward Colston (1636–1721). It was created in 1895 by the Irish sculptor John Cassidy and was formerly situated on a plinth of Portland stone in a public space known as "The Centre" in Bristol, until it was toppled by anti-racism protestors in 2020.

Statue of Edward Colston
The statue in 2019
ArtistJohn Cassidy
Completion date13 November 1895; 128 years ago (1895-11-13)
MediumBronze
SubjectEdward Colston
ConditionFigure toppled, damaged and removed; plinth defaced by demonstrators
LocationBristol, England
Coordinates
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameStatue of Edward Colston
Designated4 March 1977
Reference no.1202137

Designated a Grade II listed structure in 1977, the statue was the subject of controversy due to Colston's role in organising the Atlantic slave trade as a senior executive of the Royal African Company. From the 1990s onward the debate on the morality of glorifying Colston intensified. In 2018 Bristol City Council proposed to add a second plaque to better contextualise the statue and summarise Colston's role in the slave trade, but this was delayed by disputes over the wording of the plaque.

On 7 June 2020, the statue was toppled, defaced, and pushed into Bristol Harbour during the George Floyd protests related to the Black Lives Matter movement. The plinth was also covered in graffiti but remains in place. The statue was recovered from the harbour and put into storage by Bristol City Council on 11 June 2020, and exhibited in its graffitied state in the M Shed museum during the summer of 2021, and permanently from March 2024. Four people who helped topple the statue were found not guilty of criminal damage by a jury in January 2022.

Description edit

 
Detail of one of the dolphins

The monument originally consisted of an 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m) bronze statue of Edward Colston (1636–1721) set on top of a 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) plinth.[1][2] The statue depicts Colston in a flowing wig, velvet coat, satin waistcoat, and knee-breeches as was typical in his day.[1] The plinth is made of Portland stone and adorned with bronze plaques and, in each corner, a figure of a dolphin. Of the four plaques‍—‌one on each face of the plinth‍—‌three are relief sculptures in an Art Nouveau style: two of these depict scenes from Colston's life and the third exhibits a maritime fantasy. The plaque on the south face bears the words "Erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city AD 1895" and "John Cassidy fecit" (John Cassidy made this).[2]

Background edit

Edward Colston edit

Main article: Edward Colston

Colston was a Bristol-born merchant who made some of his fortune from the slave trade, particularly between 1680 and 1692.[3][4] He was an active member of the Royal African Company, and was briefly deputy governor in 1689–90. During his tenure, the Company transported an estimated 84,000 slaves from West Africa to the Americas.[4] Colston used his wealth to provide financial support to almshouses, hospitals, schools, workhouses and churches throughout England, particularly in his home city of Bristol;[5] he represented the Bristol constituency as its Member of Parliament from 1710 to 1713.[6] He left £71,000 to charities after his death, as well as £100,000 to members of his family.[5][7] In the 19th century he was seen as a philanthropist.[5] The fact that some of his fortune was made in the slave trade was largely ignored until the 1990s.[2][3]

Statue edit

The statue, designed by Irish sculptor John Cassidy, was erected in the area now known as The Centre in 1895 to commemorate Colston's philanthropy.[8][9] It was proposed in October 1893 by James Arrowsmith, the president of the Anchor Society; this, in March 1894, led to a committee being appointed to raise a fund. According to Tim Cole of the University of Bristol, the Colston statue was proposed as a response to the nearby erection of another statue in Bristol, depicting Edmund Burke, who had been critical of the city's involvement in the slave trade, argued for fairer taxation, and disapproved of the British government's high-handed attitude toward its colonies.[10]

Two appeals to Colston-related charitable bodies raised £407 towards the cost of the statue.[11] Further funds, to a total of £650, were raised through public appeals after the unveiling, including a contribution from the Society of Merchant Venturers.[12] Twenty-three models from sculptors were proposed to the committee, from which Cassidy's was selected.[11] The statue was unveiled by the mayor, Howell Davies, and the bishop of Bristol, Charles Ellicott, on 13 November 1895, a date which had been referred to as Colston Day in the city.[11][13]

It was designated as a Grade II listed structure on 4 March 1977. Historic England described the statue as being "handsome" and commented that "the resulting contrast of styles is handled with confidence". They also noted that the statue offers good group value with other memorials, including the statue of Edmund Burke, the Cenotaph, and a drinking fountain commemorating the Industrial and Fine Art Exhibition of 1893.[2]

Controversy edit

20th century edit

 
Art installation, showing figures representing slaves on a ship, during Anti-Slavery Day 2018

The statue had become controversial by the end of the 20th century, as Colston's activities as a major slave trader became more widely known.[14] H. J. Wilkins, who uncovered his slave-trading activities in 1920, commented that "we cannot picture him justly except against his historical background".[15][16] Colston's involvement in the slave trade predated the abolition movement in Britain, and was during the time when "slavery was generally condoned in England—indeed, throughout Europe—by churchmen, intellectuals and the educated classes".[17] From the 1990s onwards, campaigns and petitions called for the removal of the statue.[18]

In 1992, the statue was depicted in the installation piece Commemoration Day by Carole Drake, as part of the Trophies of Empire exhibition at the Arnolfini, a gallery in a former tea warehouse in Bristol Harbour. Drake's installation combined a replica of the statue swinging above rotting chrysanthemums, a favourite flower of Colston, in front of a projected photograph of schoolgirls at Colston School covering his statue with flowers in 1973 and the audio of the school hymn "Rejoice ye pure in heart".[19][20] In the 1994 catalogue of Trophies of Empire, Drake stated the work refers to[21]

the blind spots in Western culture, a collective amnesia which denies the sources of wealth which built such 'trophies of empire', and the ways in which dominant white culture and its people benefit from the exploitation of other cultures and people both overseas and at home.

In January 1998, "SLAVE TRADER" was written in paint on the base of the statue. Bristol City councillor Ray Sefia said: "If we in this city want to glorify the slave trade, then the statue should stay. If not, the statue should be marked with a plaque that he was a slave trader or taken down."[18][22][23]

21st century edit

In a 2014 poll in the local newspaper, the Bristol Post, 56% of the 1,100 respondents said it should stay while 44% wanted it to go.[24] Others called for a memorial plaque honouring the victims of slavery to be fitted to his statue. Bristol's first elected mayor, George Ferguson, stated on Twitter in 2013 that "Celebrations for Colston are perverse, not something I shall be taking part in!"[25] In August 2017 an unauthorised commemorative plaque by sculptor Will Coles was affixed to the statue's plinth, declaring that Bristol was the "Capital of the Atlantic Slave Trade 1730–1745" and memorialising "the 12,000,000 enslaved of whom 6,000,000 died as captives". Coles stated that his aim was "to try to get people to think".[26] The plaque was removed by Bristol City Council in October of the same year.[27] In 2018, Thangam Debbonaire, Labour MP for Bristol West, wrote to Bristol City Council calling for the removal of the statue.[28]

An unofficial art installation appeared in front of the statue on 18 October 2018 to mark Anti-Slavery Day in the UK. It depicted about a hundred supine figures arranged as on a slave ship, lying as if they were cargo, surrounded by a border listing jobs typically done by modern-day slaves such as 'fruit picker' and 'nail bar worker'; it remained for some months.[29] The labels around the bow of the ship said 'here and now'.[30] Another artistic intervention saw a ball and chain attached to the statue.[31]

Project to add a second plaque edit

In July 2018 Bristol City Council, which was responsible for the statue, made a planning application to add a second plaque which would "add to the public knowledge about Colston" including his philanthropy and his involvement in slave trading.[32][33][34]

The initial proposed wording for the plaque was developed as part of a project involving University of Bristol associate professor of history Madge Dresser, other local historians, and children from Cotham Gardens Primary School (formerly Colston Primary School).[34] It mentioned Colston's role in the slave trade, his brief tenure as a Tory MP for Bristol, and criticised his philanthropy as religiously selective:

As a high official of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1692, Edward Colston played an active role in the enslavement of over 84,000 Africans (including 12,000 children) of whom over 19,000 died en route to the Caribbean and America.

Colston also invested in the Spanish slave trade and in slave-produced sugar. As Tory MP for Bristol (1710–1713), he defended the city's 'right' to trade in enslaved Africans.

Bristolians who did not subscribe to his religious and political beliefs were not permitted to benefit from his charities.[35][36]

This wording attracted criticism, including from Conservative councillor Richard Eddy who called the initial suggested wording "revisionist" and "historically illiterate" and suggested that, if it were put up, stealing or damaging it might be justified.[33] He also said it was unfair to mention that Colston had been a Tory MP.[36]

A second version, co-written by Madge Dresser and a council officer, was proposed by the council in August 2018, giving a brief description of Colston's philanthropy, role in the slave trade, and time as an MP, while noting that he was now considered controversial.[34]

However, this wording was further revised by Francis Greenacre - a former fine art curator at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, and a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers which Colston had also been part of - to create a third proposal:[34]

Edward Colston (1636–1721), MP for Bristol (1710–1713), was one of this city's greatest benefactors.

He supported and endowed schools, almshouses, hospitals and churches in Bristol, London and elsewhere. Many of his charitable foundations continue. This statue was erected in 1895 to commemorate his philanthropy.

A significant proportion of Colston's wealth came from investments in slave trading, sugar and other slave-produced goods.

As an official of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1692, he was also involved in the transportation of approximately 84,000 enslaved African men, women and young children, of whom 19,000 died on voyages from West Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas.[37]

Greenacre's revisions were criticised by Dresser, who said the version was a "sanitised" version of history which minimised Colston's role in the slave trade, omitted the number of child slaves, and focused on West Africans as enslavers.[34] Nevertheless, the wording was understood to have been agreed upon and a bronze plaque was cast using Greenacre's wording.[34]

After the plaque was manufactured in March 2019, the wording was objected to by Bristol's mayor, Marvin Rees, who said he had not been consulted on the wording and criticised the Society of Merchant Venturers for its involvement in the revision.[38] A statement from Rees' office said the Merchant Venturers had been "extremely naive" to think they would have the final say on the wording, and that it was "an oversight to put it mildly" to not consult with the mayor. The statement committed to creating a revised wording for the plaque as part of wider work around the legacy of the slave trade.[37][39]

After the toppling of the statue in June 2020, the Society of Merchant Venturers said it had been "inappropriate" for the society to have become involved in the rewording of the plaque in 2018.[40]

Toppling and removal edit

 
Protestors moments after toppling the statue

On 7 June 2020, during the global protests following the murder of George Floyd in the United States,[41] the statue was pulled down by demonstrators who then jumped on it.[42] They daubed it in red and blue paint, and one protester was shown kneeling on the statue's neck, alluding to the manner of Floyd's death.[41][43] The statue was then rolled down Anchor Road and pushed into Bristol Harbour.[42][44][45] Just prior to this, a petition to the council to remove the statue, sent out to 38 Degrees “an online campaigning organisation, involving more than 2 million people from every corner of the UK”, had received over 11,000 signatures.[42][46]

Superintendent Andy Bennett of Avon and Somerset Police stated that they had made a "tactical decision" not to intervene and had allowed the statue to be toppled, citing a concern that stopping the act could have led to further violence and a riot.[42][47] They also stated that the act was criminal damage and confirmed that there would be an investigation to identify those involved, adding that they were in the process of collating footage of the incident.[48][49]

Reaction edit

On 7 June 2020 the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, called the toppling "utterly disgraceful", "completely unacceptable" and "sheer vandalism". She added, "it speaks to the acts of public disorder that have become a distraction from the cause people are protesting about."[50][51] The Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said those comments showed an "absolute lack of understanding".[52]

On 8 June, Rees said that the statue was an affront, and he felt no "sense of loss [at its removal]," but that the statue would be retrieved "at some point" and it was "highly likely that the Colston statue will end up in one of our museums."[52][53] The historian and television presenter David Olusoga commented that the statue should have been taken down earlier, saying: "Statues are about saying 'this was a great man who did great things'. That is not true, he [Colston] was a slave trader and a murderer."[44]

Police Superintendent Andy Bennett also stated he understood that Colston was "a historical figure that's caused the black community quite a lot of angst over the last couple of years", adding: "Whilst I am disappointed that people would damage one of our statues, I do understand why it's happened, it's very symbolic."[42]

 
The empty pedestal, showing placards and graffiti

Rees made a statement suggesting that "it's important to listen to those who found the statue to represent an affront to humanity and make the legacy of today about the future of our city, tackling racism and inequality. I call on everyone to challenge racism and inequality in every corner of our city and wherever we see it."[54] In an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy, he said: "We have a statue of someone who made their money by throwing our people into water ... and now he's on the bottom of the water."[55]

A spokesperson for Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, said that he "absolutely understands the strength of feeling" but insisted that the democratic process should have been followed, and that police should hold responsible those involved in the criminal act.[52][56][57]

Labour leader Keir Starmer said while the manner in which the statue had been pulled down was "completely wrong", it should have been removed "a long, long time ago". He added "you can't, in 21st Century Britain, have a slaver on a statue. That statue should have been brought down properly, with consent, and put in a museum."[52][58]

The Society of Merchant Venturers, in a statement on 12 June 2020, said that "the fact that [the statue] has gone is right for Bristol. To build a city where racism and inequality no longer exist, we must start by acknowledging Bristol's dark past and removing statues, portraits and names that memorialise a man who benefitted from trading in human lives."[40]

A direct descendant of Colston, Philip Colston Robins, wrote to the Mayor of Bristol suggesting that the city should honour moral obligations and "make peace with the past", including development aid and twinning with cities in West Africa affected by the slave trade.[59]

Retrieval and storage edit

At 5 am on 11 June 2020, the statue was retrieved from Bristol Harbour by Bristol City Council.[60] The statue was found filled with mud and sediments from the harbour floor. The council said the statue was structurally stable, although it had lost one of its coattails, the walking stick, and faced damage to its left side and to the foot.[61] They stated they had cleaned the statue to prevent corrosion, and that they planned to exhibit it in a museum without removing the graffiti and ropes placed on it by the protesters.[60][62] While cleaning mud from the statue, M Shed discovered an 1895 issue of Tit-Bits magazine containing a handwritten date, 26 October 1895, and the names of those who originally fitted the statue.[63][64][65]

Police investigation edit

The day after the toppling, the police announced that they identified 17 people in connection with the incident, but had not yet made any arrests.[66] On 22 June 2020 the police released images of people connected to the incident, and asked the public for help identifying the individuals.[67] On 1 July, an unnamed 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage to the statue[68] and was bailed under police investigation.[69] In September 2020, Avon and Somerset Police said that files on four people suspected of criminal damage had been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide if charges should be brought. A further five people had been offered restorative justice, such as a fine and community service.[70] By 1 October 2020, a total of six people had accepted conditional cautions relating to the events of 7 June.[69]

Criminal charges and trial edit

Main article: R v Rhian Graham, Milo Ponsford, Jake Skuse and Sage Willoughby

On 9 December 2020, four people—Rhian Graham, Milo Ponsford, Jake Skuse and Sage Willoughby, often referred to as the "Colston 4"[71]—were charged with causing criminal damage in relation to the toppling of the statue.[72] They appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court on 2 March 2021 and entered a plea of not guilty.[73] Their trial began at Bristol Crown Court on 13 December 2021.[74] Before the trial, the graffiti artist Banksy produced a T-shirt to be sold to support the accused.[75]

The four did not deny that they toppled the statue, but advanced several defences that doing so was not an act of criminal damage within the meaning of the law. One defence was that the statue had not in fact been damaged—indeed that it had been made more valuable by the process of toppling, removal from the harbour, and display in the museum. A second was that the removal of the statue helped to prevent another crime, because the display of the statue itself was a criminal act of displaying indecent or abusive material, saying Colston's "continued veneration (...) in a vibrant multicultural city was an act of abuse".[76] Two defendants also argued that they believed the statue was collectively owned by the people of Bristol, who in the circumstances would agree with the act of toppling it. In fact the statue was owned by Bristol City Council, but even a mistaken belief about the owner and the owners' intentions would have been grounds for acquittal, if the jury felt that belief was sincerely held. The judge also advised the jury that even if not convinced by any of these arguments, the jury could still acquit on the basis that a conviction for criminal damage would, in the circumstances, represent a disproportionate interference with the defendants' right of freedom of expression. The jury would have to weigh the importance of property-owners' rights not to have property (e.g. statues) damaged, with the right to freedom of expression.[77]

On 5 January 2022, the jury found the four defendants not guilty of criminal damage[76] by a majority of 11 to 1 after deliberating for three hours.[78] Because juries never provide any rationale or documentation for their verdict, it is unclear which of the defence arguments they found persuasive.[77] While stating that "trial by jury is an important guardian of liberty and must not be undermined", Suella Braverman, the attorney general, said she is "carefully considering" whether to refer the case to the Court of Appeal as the result was "causing confusion".[79] Braverman's statement was alleged by former Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, and shadow attorney general, Emily Thornberry, to be politically motivated.[80]

On 12 April 2022, Braverman referred the case to the Court of Appeal, to seek clarification on whether defendants can cite their human rights as a defence in a case of criminal damage.[81] The ruling by the Court of Appeal, which did not affect the jury acquittal in the original case, was handed down on 28 September 2022. It ruled that defences on the basis of human rights could only be made in criminal damage cases, when the value of the property damaged is low.[82]

After the toppling edit

The day after the toppling, 8 June, a cardboard plaque bearing the text "This plaque is dedicated to the slaves that were taken from their homes" was taped onto the plinth to cover the bronze commemorative plaque on the south face that described Colston as "virtuous and wise".[83]

After the toppling of Colston's statue, a similar monument to Robert Milligan, the slave trader who was largely responsible for the construction of the West India Docks, in east London was removed by Tower Hamlets London Borough Council on 9 June 2020.[84][85] On the same day, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan called for London statues and street names with links to slavery to be removed or renamed. Khan set up the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to review London's landmarks.[86]

Support for, and opposition to, the statue's removal continued in the Bristol area. In what a local councillor believed was retaliation, the headstone and footstone for the enslaved man Scipio Africanus were vandalised in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Henbury, Bristol, on 17 June. The attacker broke one of the stones in two and scrawled a warning to "put Colston's statue back or things will really heat up."[87]

After Colston's statue was removed, a petition began to have a statue of Paul Stephenson erected in its place.[88] The former Bristol youth worker is a black man who was instrumental in the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott, inspired by the US Montgomery bus boycott, which brought an end to a then-legal employment colour ban in Bristol bus companies.[89]

While the plinth has remained empty, a number of unofficial statues have been placed upon it. On 11 July 2020, a mannequin dressed as deceased television presenter Jimmy Savile appeared on the plinth, along with a cardboard sign: "None of them stopped me, and your licence paid for it". The mannequin was on the plinth for about an hour, before being removed.[90] In the early morning of 15 July 2020, a statue by Marc Quinn was placed on the empty plinth without permission from the authorities. The statue, entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020 depicts a Black Lives Matter protester, Jen Reid, with a raised fist.[91][92] Quinn described it as a "new temporary, public installation".[93] Bristol City Council removed the statue on the morning of 16 July[94] and it was returned to Quinn. An application for planning permission for A Surge of Power to be installed for two years was sought in summer 2020, rejected, appealed in March 2021,[95] and finally refused in November 2021.[96] On 2 December 2020, a figurine of Darth Vader appeared on the plinth, in what was seen as a tribute to the actor David Prowse, who was born in Bristol and died on 29 November 2020.[97]

Reinterpretation, possible replacement and permanent display edit

In September 2020, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees set up the We Are Bristol History Commission, described as "an independent group who will: help Bristol better understand its history and how it became the city it is today; work with citizens and community groups to make sure that everyone in the city can share their views on Bristol’s history; build an improved, shared understanding of Bristol’s story for future generations."[98] A city council spokesperson said that the commission would include the issues around the Colston statue as a starting point, and it would also address wider historic issues in the city.[99] The Commission is chaired by Dr Tim Cole of the University of Bristol, with other members including Madge Dresser and David Olusoga. There was criticism that the commission was dominated by academics at the expense of local community members.[99]

 
Defaced Colston statue on display at the M Shed in 2021

The Colston statue was put on exhibition from 4 June to 5 September 2021 at the M Shed museum in Bristol.[100][101] It was displayed horizontally on a wooden support with the graffiti remaining. John Finch, head of culture and creative industries at Bristol City Council, stated that after considerable thought the statue was being displayed horizontally because its damaged state meant that it was "unstable" and otherwise needed expensive support, and to enable visitors to see the statue, and the graffiti and damage, close up. Some of the demonstration placards, air dried to preserve them, were displayed nearby.[102][103][104] The museum's website stated "This temporary display is the start of a conversation, not a complete exhibition", and invited members of the public to express their views on the future of the statue and its plinth.[105] Immediately after the statue had been put on exhibition, with entry only by free pre-booking, people who had wanted the statue to be returned to public view on its plinth block-booked the exhibit with no intention of attending so that it could not be seen by the public.[106] In response the museum changed its online booking system: "We're always more than happy to accommodate walk-ups if we haven't reached our Covid secure capacity".[101] After the temporary exhibition closed, the responses were considered by the We Are Bristol History Commission, with a report expected by early 2022. The Mayor will then decide the future of the statue.[107]

On 4 August 2021, planning inspector J. P. Sargent dismissed an appeal against the city council's refusal to grant a temporary permission to reinstate, for a period of two years, Marc Quinn's statue of Jen Reid. He stated that, because no consent had been given for the Colston statue to be removed, it remained, in law, part of the whole monument and could be returned to its plinth. He stated that the "special architectural and historic interest" of the monument, which had resulted in it being listed, was partly based on the quality of the design of the statue and that "to replace it with a statue of someone else would appreciably undermine the Monument’s historic integrity."[108]

On 3 February 2022, the We Are Bristol History Commission recommended, following public consultation, that the toppled and defaced Colston statue should be put on display in the city's museum, in its existing state, and presented in a "nuanced, contextualised and engaging way". They recommended that temporary artworks should be placed on the remaining plinth, with "periods of intentional emptiness".[109]

In March 2024, the statue, in its defaced state, went on permanent display in Bristol's M Shed museum, as part of an exhibit about protest.[110]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Colston's Day at Bristol". The Times. London. 14 November 1895. p. 10.
  2. ^ a b c d Historic England. "Statue of Edward Colston (1202137)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Morgan, Kenneth (1999). Edward Colston and Bristol (PDF). Bristol: Bristol Branch of the Historical Association. p. 3. (PDF) from the original on 8 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b "COLSTON, Edward II (1636–1721), of Mortlake, Surr". History of Parliament Online. from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Morgan, Kenneth (September 2004). "Colston, Edward". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/5996. from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  6. ^ Pocock, Nigel; Cook, Victoria (17 February 2011). "The Business of Enslavement". BBC. from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. ^ Parkes, Pamela (February 2018). "Who was Edward Colston and why is Bristol divided by his legacy?". BBC News. from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. ^ . PMSA National Recording Project. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  9. ^ Saner, Emine (29 April 2017). "Renamed and shamed: taking on Britain's slave-trade past, from Colston Hall to Penny Lane". The Guardian. from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  10. ^ Lewis, Helen (9 August 2021). "History Was Never Subject to Democratic Control". The Atlantic. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "Colston Anniversary". Bristol Mercury. 14 November 1895.
  12. ^ "The Colston Statue". Bristol Mercury. 30 December 1895.
  13. ^ Watts, James. "Edward Colston statue toppled: how Bristol came to see the slave trader as a hero and philanthropist". The Conversation. from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  14. ^ Foyle, Andrew (2004). Bristol-Pevsner Architectural Guides. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. p. 125. ISBN 0-300-10442-1.
  15. ^ Wilkins, H. J. (1920). Edward Colston (1636–1721 A.D.), a chronological account of his life and work. Bristol: J. W. Arrowsmith. p. 93. OCLC 629979568.
  16. ^ Ng, Kate (8 June 2020). "Who was Bristol slave trader Edward Colston?". The Independent. from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  17. ^ Morgan, Kenneth (1999). (PDF). Bristol: Bristol Branch of the Historical Association. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2020.
  18. ^ a b Hochschild, Adam (2006). Bury the Chains. New York City: Mariner Books. p. 15.
  19. ^ Gee, Gabriel N.; Vogelaar, Alison (4 July 2018). Changing Representations of Nature and the City: The 1960s–1970s and their Legacies. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-96840-4.
  20. ^ "Trophies of Empire | Exhibition guide relating to an exhibition, 1992". Diaspora Artists. 1992. from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  21. ^ Trophies of Empire. Bluecoat Gallery and Liverpool John Moores University School of Design & Visual Arts in collaboration with Arnolfini and Hull Time Based Arts. 1994. ISBN 978-0-907738-38-1. from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  22. ^ Wilkins, Emma (29 January 1998). "Graffiti attack revives Bristol slavery row". The Times. p. 11.
  23. ^ Dresser, Madge (2009). "Remembering Slavery and Abolition in Bristol". Slavery & Abolition. 30 (2): 223–246. doi:10.1080/01440390902818955. ISSN 0144-039X. S2CID 145478877.
  24. ^ Gallagher, Paul (22 June 2014). "Bristol torn apart over statue of Edward Colston: But is this a figure of shame or a necessary monument to the history of slavery?". The Independent. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  25. ^ Koch, Emily (30 August 2013). . Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  26. ^ Pipe, Ellie (24 August 2017). "Revealed: mystery sculptor behind plaque that brands Bristol a slavery capital". Bristol24-7. from the original on 9 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  27. ^ Davis, Krishan (27 October 2017). "Unofficial plaque calling Bristol 'capital of Atlantic slave trade' removed from Edward Colston statue". Bristol Live. from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  28. ^ "MP calls for slave trader statue removal". BBC News. 11 October 2018. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  29. ^ Cork, Tristan (18 October 2018). . Bristol Live. Local World. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  30. ^ Gould, Rebecca Ruth (12 June 2020). "Bringing Colston Down". London Review of Books (blog). from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  31. ^ Yong, Michael. "Ball and chain attached to Edward Colston's statue in Bristol city centre". Bristol Live. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  32. ^ Cork, Tristan (22 July 2018). "The second plaque planned for Colston statue linking him to 20,000 deaths". BristolLive. from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  33. ^ a b Cork, Tristan (23 July 2018). "Theft of second Colston plaque 'may be justified' says councillor". Bristol Live. from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  34. ^ a b c d e f Cork, Tristan (23 August 2018). "Row breaks out as Merchant Venturer accused of 'sanitising' Edward Colston's involvement in slave trade". Bristol Live. from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  35. ^ Cork, Tristan (22 July 2018). "The wording of second plaque proposed for Edward Colston statue linking him to 20,000 deaths". Bristol Live. from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  36. ^ a b "Edward Colston plaque in Bristol 'shows full history'". BBC News. 25 July 2018. from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  37. ^ a b Cork, Tristan (25 March 2019). "Second Colston statue plaque not axed but mayor orders re-write". Bristol Live. from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  38. ^ "Edward Colston: Plaque to Bristol slave trader axed over wording". BBC News. 25 March 2019. from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  39. ^ Horton, Helena (25 March 2019). "Edward Colston plaque listing his links to slavery scrapped after mayor says wording isn't harsh enough". The Telegraph. from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  40. ^ a b "Statement from the Society of Merchant Venturers". The Society of Merchant Venturers. from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  41. ^ a b "Protesters in England topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston into harbor". CBS News. 7 June 2020. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  42. ^ a b c d e Siddique, Haroon (7 June 2020). "BLM protesters topple statue of Bristol slave trader Edward Colston". The Guardian. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  43. ^ Zaks, Dmitry (8 June 2020). "UK slave trader's statue toppled in anti-racism protests". The Jakarta Post. Agence France-Presse. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  44. ^ a b "George Floyd death: Protesters tear down slave trader statue". BBC News. 7 June 2020. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  45. ^ Sullivan, Rory (7 June 2020). "Black Lives Matter protesters pull down statue of 17th century UK slave trader". The Independent. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  46. ^ Grubb, Sophie (5 June 2020). "'It's a disgrace' – Thousands call for removal of controversial Bristol statue". Bristol Live. from the original on 7 June 2020.
  47. ^ Evans, Martin (8 June 2020). "Intervening to prevent toppling of Colston statue could have sparked a riot, says Chief Constable". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  48. ^ Avon and Somerset Police [@ASPolice] (7 June 2020). "Statement from Bristol Area Commander Superintendent Andy Bennett following Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol" (Tweet). from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020 – via Twitter.
  49. ^ Max Foster; Nada Bashir; Rob Picheta; Susannah Cullinane (7 June 2020). "UK protesters topple slave trader statue". CNN. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  50. ^ "Priti Patel: Toppling Edward Colston statue 'utterly disgraceful'". Sky News. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  51. ^ Sullivan, Rory (7 June 2020). "Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol pull down and throw statue of 17th-century slave trader into river". The Independent. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  52. ^ a b c d . BBC News. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  53. ^ King, Jasper (8 June 2020). "Edward Colston statue: Mayor gives update on statue's future". Bristol Live. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  54. ^ Grimshaw, Emma (7 June 2020). "Mayor Marvin Rees issues statement on the Black Lives Matter protest and the toppling of Colston's statue". Bristol Live. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  55. ^ Guru-Murthy, Krishnan (7 June 2020). ""We have a statue of someone who made their money by throwing our people into water...and now he's on the bottom of the water." – Marvin Rees, elected Mayor of Bristol". Channel 4 News. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  56. ^ Neilan, Cat (8 June 2020). "Politics latest news: Prime Minister 'absolutely understands strength of feeling' but toppling statue still criminal act". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  57. ^ "George Floyd: Boris Johnson urges peaceful struggle against racism". BBC News. 8 June 2020. from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  58. ^ Walker, Peter (8 June 2020). "Keir Starmer: pulling down Edward Colston statue was wrong". The Guardian. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  59. ^ Ben Quinn (17 June 2020). "Bristol should make peace with slavery past, says Colston descendant". The Guardian.
  60. ^ a b "Edward Colston statue pulled out of Bristol Harbour". BBC News. 11 June 2020. from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  61. ^ "Restoring Colston's statue – graffiti, bike tyre and all". Bristol 24/7. 17 June 2020. from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  62. ^ "Images released as part of Colston statue investigation". Avon and Somerset Police. 2 June 2020. from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  63. ^ M Shed [@mshedbristol] (11 June 2020). "We ended up with two surprise additions. Firstly a bicycle tyre which emerged from the harbour with the statue, and then the discovery of a clue to the people who first installed it in Bristol: A 1895 magazine rolled up inside the coat tails" (Tweet). from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via Twitter.
  64. ^ M Shed [@mshedbristol] (11 June 2020). "After careful cleaning and drying we found someone had handwritten the names of those who originally fitted the statue and the date on the inside pages" (Tweet). from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via Twitter.
  65. ^ Brewis, Harriet (12 June 2020). "125-year-old magazine found hidden inside toppled Colston statue". Evening Standard. from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  66. ^ "Johnson urges peaceful struggle against racism". BBC News. 8 June 2020. from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  67. ^ "Appeal to identify Colston statue protesters". BBC News. 2 June 2020. from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  68. ^ "Edward Colston statue: Man held over criminal damage". BBC News. 1 July 2020. from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  69. ^ a b "Edward Colston statue: Six accept conditional cautions". BBC News Online. 2 October 2020. from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  70. ^ "Edward Colston statue: Cases sent to Crown Prosecution Service". BBC News. 18 September 2020. from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  71. ^ Bennett, Geoffrey; Cork, Tristan (December 2021). "Colston 4 trial updates - Bristol Crown Court". BristolLive. Updated several times a day during the trial.
  72. ^ Jessica Murray (9 December 2020). "Four charged over damage to Colston statue in Bristol". The Guardian. from the original on 9 December 2020.
  73. ^ "Edward Colston: Four deny damage to Bristol statue". BBC News Online. 2 March 2021. from the original on 16 March 2021.
  74. ^ Gayle, Damien (13 December 2021). "Accused said Colston statue was 'an abhorrent offence' to Bristol, trial hears". The Guardian.
  75. ^ "Banksy designs T-shirts to raise funds for 'Colston Four' accused of Bristol statue damage". The Guardian. 11 December 2021.
  76. ^ a b "BLM protesters cleared over toppling of Edward Colston statue". The Guardian. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  77. ^ a b The Secret Barrister. "Why did the jury find the Colston Four not guilty?". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  78. ^ "Colston Four cleared of criminal damage". Apollo Magazine. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  79. ^ Booth, Martin (7 January 2022). "Colston 4 Case could be Sent to Appeal Court". B24/7. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  80. ^ "Suella Braverman accused of politically driven meddling over Colston Four". The Guardian. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  81. ^ Gayle, Damien (13 April 2022). "Colston Four acquittal to be referred to court of appeal". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  82. ^ Cork, Tristan (28 September 2022). "Appeal Court rules Colston 4 should not have used human rights defence". Bristol Post.
  83. ^ "Sign taped over plaque that describes slave trader as 'virtuous and wise'". York Press. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  84. ^ Mason, Rowena; Pidd, Helen (9 June 2020). "Labour councils launch slavery statue review as another is removed". The Guardian. from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  85. ^ "Robert Milligan: Slave trader statue removed from outside London museum". BBC News. 9 June 2020. from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  86. ^ "London statues with slavery links 'should be taken down'". BBC News. 9 June 2020. from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  87. ^ "Enslaved African man's headstone vandalised". BBC News. 18 June 2020. from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  88. ^ Ross, Alex (7 June 2020). "Petition calls for statue of Bristol civil rights activist Paul Stephenson to be erected in Colston's place". Bristol Live. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  89. ^ Webb, Elizabeth (7 October 2019). "The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963". Black History 365. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  90. ^ Grimshaw, Emma (11 July 2020). "Mannequin of Jimmy Savile placed on Edward Colston's plinth". BristolLive.
  91. ^ "Jen Reid: Statue of Black Lives Matter protester appears on Colston plinth". BBC News. 15 July 2020. from the original on 15 July 2020.
  92. ^ Bland, Archie (15 July 2020). "Edward Colston statue replaced by sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester". The Guardian. from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  93. ^ "A joint statement from Marc Quinn and Jen Reid". Marc Quinn. from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  94. ^ "Black Lives Matter protester statue removed". BBC News. 16 July 2020. from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  95. ^ Harris, Gareth (22 March 2021). "Marc Quinn's BLM protestor statue could be reinstalled on Bristol plinth that held slave trader monument". The Art Newspaper.
  96. ^ Speechlys, Charles Russell (1 November 2021). "Colston Statue Appeal Dismissed". Lexology.
  97. ^ Murray, Robin; Farell-Roig, Estel (2 December 2020). "Darth Vader figure appears on Colston plinth in Bristol". Bristol Post. from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  98. ^ We Are Bristol History Commission, Bristol City Council. Retrieved 31 August 2021
  99. ^ a b Tristan Cork, "'We Are Bristol' History Commission has 'extreme lack of Bristolians' involved", Bristol Post, 30 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021
  100. ^ Morris, Steven (28 May 2021). "Statue of slave trader Edward Colston to go on display in Bristol museum". The Guardian. from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  101. ^ a b Adams, Geraldine Kendall (8 June 2021). "Changes made after Colston exhibition hit by blockbooking protests". Museums Association News. from the original on 25 June 2021.
  102. ^ "Edward Colston statue to go on display in Bristol exhibition". BBC News. 4 June 2021. from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  103. ^ Cork, Tristan (3 June 2021). "How Edward Colston's statue will be displayed in Bristol". BristolLive. from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  104. ^ Humphries, Will (4 June 2021). "Bristol's protracted debate over angle of Edward Colston statue". The Times. from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  105. ^ "The Colston Statue: What next?". Bristol Museums. from the original on 4 June 2021.
  106. ^ Gayle, Damien (7 June 2021). "Campaigners try to block Edward Colston display at Bristol museum". The Guardian. from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  107. ^ "The Colston Statue: What next?", Bristol Museums. Retrieved 15 December 2021
  108. ^ Huw Morris, "Appeal: Inspector rejects replacement sculpture for deposed Colston statue", The Planner, 10 August 2021 16 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 August 2021
  109. ^ "Colston statue should be displayed in museum, public says", BBC News, 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022
  110. ^ "Edward Colston statue goes on permanent display in Bristol museum". BBC News. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Statue of Edward Colston, Bristol.
  • Hulme, Charlie; Nicolson, Lis. "Edward Colston statue, Bristol (1895)". John Cassidy: Manchester sculptor. Includes period photographs.

January 01, 1970
statue, edward, colston, statue, edward, colston, bronze, statue, bristol, born, merchant, trans, atlantic, slave, trader, edward, colston, 1636, 1721, created, 1895, irish, sculptor, john, cassidy, formerly, situated, plinth, portland, stone, public, space, k. The statue of Edward Colston is a bronze statue of Bristol born merchant and trans Atlantic slave trader Edward Colston 1636 1721 It was created in 1895 by the Irish sculptor John Cassidy and was formerly situated on a plinth of Portland stone in a public space known as The Centre in Bristol until it was toppled by anti racism protestors in 2020 Statue of Edward ColstonThe statue in 2019ArtistJohn CassidyCompletion date13 November 1895 128 years ago 1895 11 13 MediumBronzeSubjectEdward ColstonConditionFigure toppled damaged and removed plinth defaced by demonstratorsLocationBristol EnglandCoordinatesListed Building Grade IIOfficial nameStatue of Edward ColstonDesignated4 March 1977Reference no 1202137 Designated a Grade II listed structure in 1977 the statue was the subject of controversy due to Colston s role in organising the Atlantic slave trade as a senior executive of the Royal African Company From the 1990s onward the debate on the morality of glorifying Colston intensified In 2018 Bristol City Council proposed to add a second plaque to better contextualise the statue and summarise Colston s role in the slave trade but this was delayed by disputes over the wording of the plaque On 7 June 2020 the statue was toppled defaced and pushed into Bristol Harbour during the George Floyd protests related to the Black Lives Matter movement The plinth was also covered in graffiti but remains in place The statue was recovered from the harbour and put into storage by Bristol City Council on 11 June 2020 and exhibited in its graffitied state in the M Shed museum during the summer of 2021 and permanently from March 2024 Four people who helped topple the statue were found not guilty of criminal damage by a jury in January 2022 Contents 1 Description 2 Background 2 1 Edward Colston 2 2 Statue 3 Controversy 3 1 20th century 3 2 21st century 3 2 1 Project to add a second plaque 4 Toppling and removal 4 1 Reaction 4 2 Retrieval and storage 4 3 Police investigation 4 4 Criminal charges and trial 5 After the toppling 6 Reinterpretation possible replacement and permanent display 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksDescription edit nbsp Detail of one of the dolphins The monument originally consisted of an 8 ft 8 in 2 64 m bronze statue of Edward Colston 1636 1721 set on top of a 10 ft 6 in 3 20 m plinth 1 2 The statue depicts Colston in a flowing wig velvet coat satin waistcoat and knee breeches as was typical in his day 1 The plinth is made of Portland stone and adorned with bronze plaques and in each corner a figure of a dolphin Of the four plaques one on each face of the plinth three are relief sculptures in an Art Nouveau style two of these depict scenes from Colston s life and the third exhibits a maritime fantasy The plaque on the south face bears the words Erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city AD 1895 and John Cassidy fecit John Cassidy made this 2 Background editEdward Colston edit Main article Edward Colston Colston was a Bristol born merchant who made some of his fortune from the slave trade particularly between 1680 and 1692 3 4 He was an active member of the Royal African Company and was briefly deputy governor in 1689 90 During his tenure the Company transported an estimated 84 000 slaves from West Africa to the Americas 4 Colston used his wealth to provide financial support to almshouses hospitals schools workhouses and churches throughout England particularly in his home city of Bristol 5 he represented the Bristol constituency as its Member of Parliament from 1710 to 1713 6 He left 71 000 to charities after his death as well as 100 000 to members of his family 5 7 In the 19th century he was seen as a philanthropist 5 The fact that some of his fortune was made in the slave trade was largely ignored until the 1990s 2 3 Statue edit The statue designed by Irish sculptor John Cassidy was erected in the area now known as The Centre in 1895 to commemorate Colston s philanthropy 8 9 It was proposed in October 1893 by James Arrowsmith the president of the Anchor Society this in March 1894 led to a committee being appointed to raise a fund According to Tim Cole of the University of Bristol the Colston statue was proposed as a response to the nearby erection of another statue in Bristol depicting Edmund Burke who had been critical of the city s involvement in the slave trade argued for fairer taxation and disapproved of the British government s high handed attitude toward its colonies 10 Two appeals to Colston related charitable bodies raised 407 towards the cost of the statue 11 Further funds to a total of 650 were raised through public appeals after the unveiling including a contribution from the Society of Merchant Venturers 12 Twenty three models from sculptors were proposed to the committee from which Cassidy s was selected 11 The statue was unveiled by the mayor Howell Davies and the bishop of Bristol Charles Ellicott on 13 November 1895 a date which had been referred to as Colston Day in the city 11 13 It was designated as a Grade II listed structure on 4 March 1977 Historic England described the statue as being handsome and commented that the resulting contrast of styles is handled with confidence They also noted that the statue offers good group value with other memorials including the statue of Edmund Burke the Cenotaph and a drinking fountain commemorating the Industrial and Fine Art Exhibition of 1893 2 Controversy edit20th century edit nbsp Art installation showing figures representing slaves on a ship during Anti Slavery Day 2018 The statue had become controversial by the end of the 20th century as Colston s activities as a major slave trader became more widely known 14 H J Wilkins who uncovered his slave trading activities in 1920 commented that we cannot picture him justly except against his historical background 15 16 Colston s involvement in the slave trade predated the abolition movement in Britain and was during the time when slavery was generally condoned in England indeed throughout Europe by churchmen intellectuals and the educated classes 17 From the 1990s onwards campaigns and petitions called for the removal of the statue 18 In 1992 the statue was depicted in the installation piece Commemoration Day by Carole Drake as part of the Trophies of Empire exhibition at the Arnolfini a gallery in a former tea warehouse in Bristol Harbour Drake s installation combined a replica of the statue swinging above rotting chrysanthemums a favourite flower of Colston in front of a projected photograph of schoolgirls at Colston School covering his statue with flowers in 1973 and the audio of the school hymn Rejoice ye pure in heart 19 20 In the 1994 catalogue of Trophies of Empire Drake stated the work refers to 21 the blind spots in Western culture a collective amnesia which denies the sources of wealth which built such trophies of empire and the ways in which dominant white culture and its people benefit from the exploitation of other cultures and people both overseas and at home In January 1998 SLAVE TRADER was written in paint on the base of the statue Bristol City councillor Ray Sefia said If we in this city want to glorify the slave trade then the statue should stay If not the statue should be marked with a plaque that he was a slave trader or taken down 18 22 23 21st century edit In a 2014 poll in the local newspaper the Bristol Post 56 of the 1 100 respondents said it should stay while 44 wanted it to go 24 Others called for a memorial plaque honouring the victims of slavery to be fitted to his statue Bristol s first elected mayor George Ferguson stated on Twitter in 2013 that Celebrations for Colston are perverse not something I shall be taking part in 25 In August 2017 an unauthorised commemorative plaque by sculptor Will Coles was affixed to the statue s plinth declaring that Bristol was the Capital of the Atlantic Slave Trade 1730 1745 and memorialising the 12 000 000 enslaved of whom 6 000 000 died as captives Coles stated that his aim was to try to get people to think 26 The plaque was removed by Bristol City Council in October of the same year 27 In 2018 Thangam Debbonaire Labour MP for Bristol West wrote to Bristol City Council calling for the removal of the statue 28 An unofficial art installation appeared in front of the statue on 18 October 2018 to mark Anti Slavery Day in the UK It depicted about a hundred supine figures arranged as on a slave ship lying as if they were cargo surrounded by a border listing jobs typically done by modern day slaves such as fruit picker and nail bar worker it remained for some months 29 The labels around the bow of the ship said here and now 30 Another artistic intervention saw a ball and chain attached to the statue 31 Project to add a second plaque edit In July 2018 Bristol City Council which was responsible for the statue made a planning application to add a second plaque which would add to the public knowledge about Colston including his philanthropy and his involvement in slave trading 32 33 34 The initial proposed wording for the plaque was developed as part of a project involving University of Bristol associate professor of history Madge Dresser other local historians and children from Cotham Gardens Primary School formerly Colston Primary School 34 It mentioned Colston s role in the slave trade his brief tenure as a Tory MP for Bristol and criticised his philanthropy as religiously selective As a high official of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1692 Edward Colston played an active role in the enslavement of over 84 000 Africans including 12 000 children of whom over 19 000 died en route to the Caribbean and America Colston also invested in the Spanish slave trade and in slave produced sugar As Tory MP for Bristol 1710 1713 he defended the city s right to trade in enslaved Africans Bristolians who did not subscribe to his religious and political beliefs were not permitted to benefit from his charities 35 36 This wording attracted criticism including from Conservative councillor Richard Eddy who called the initial suggested wording revisionist and historically illiterate and suggested that if it were put up stealing or damaging it might be justified 33 He also said it was unfair to mention that Colston had been a Tory MP 36 A second version co written by Madge Dresser and a council officer was proposed by the council in August 2018 giving a brief description of Colston s philanthropy role in the slave trade and time as an MP while noting that he was now considered controversial 34 However this wording was further revised by Francis Greenacre a former fine art curator at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers which Colston had also been part of to create a third proposal 34 Edward Colston 1636 1721 MP for Bristol 1710 1713 was one of this city s greatest benefactors He supported and endowed schools almshouses hospitals and churches in Bristol London and elsewhere Many of his charitable foundations continue This statue was erected in 1895 to commemorate his philanthropy A significant proportion of Colston s wealth came from investments in slave trading sugar and other slave produced goods As an official of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1692 he was also involved in the transportation of approximately 84 000 enslaved African men women and young children of whom 19 000 died on voyages from West Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas 37 Greenacre s revisions were criticised by Dresser who said the version was a sanitised version of history which minimised Colston s role in the slave trade omitted the number of child slaves and focused on West Africans as enslavers 34 Nevertheless the wording was understood to have been agreed upon and a bronze plaque was cast using Greenacre s wording 34 After the plaque was manufactured in March 2019 the wording was objected to by Bristol s mayor Marvin Rees who said he had not been consulted on the wording and criticised the Society of Merchant Venturers for its involvement in the revision 38 A statement from Rees office said the Merchant Venturers had been extremely naive to think they would have the final say on the wording and that it was an oversight to put it mildly to not consult with the mayor The statement committed to creating a revised wording for the plaque as part of wider work around the legacy of the slave trade 37 39 After the toppling of the statue in June 2020 the Society of Merchant Venturers said it had been inappropriate for the society to have become involved in the rewording of the plaque in 2018 40 Toppling and removal edit nbsp Protestors moments after toppling the statue On 7 June 2020 during the global protests following the murder of George Floyd in the United States 41 the statue was pulled down by demonstrators who then jumped on it 42 They daubed it in red and blue paint and one protester was shown kneeling on the statue s neck alluding to the manner of Floyd s death 41 43 The statue was then rolled down Anchor Road and pushed into Bristol Harbour 42 44 45 Just prior to this a petition to the council to remove the statue sent out to 38 Degrees an online campaigning organisation involving more than 2 million people from every corner of the UK had received over 11 000 signatures 42 46 Superintendent Andy Bennett of Avon and Somerset Police stated that they had made a tactical decision not to intervene and had allowed the statue to be toppled citing a concern that stopping the act could have led to further violence and a riot 42 47 They also stated that the act was criminal damage and confirmed that there would be an investigation to identify those involved adding that they were in the process of collating footage of the incident 48 49 Reaction edit On 7 June 2020 the Home Secretary Priti Patel called the toppling utterly disgraceful completely unacceptable and sheer vandalism She added it speaks to the acts of public disorder that have become a distraction from the cause people are protesting about 50 51 The Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said those comments showed an absolute lack of understanding 52 On 8 June Rees said that the statue was an affront and he felt no sense of loss at its removal but that the statue would be retrieved at some point and it was highly likely that the Colston statue will end up in one of our museums 52 53 The historian and television presenter David Olusoga commented that the statue should have been taken down earlier saying Statues are about saying this was a great man who did great things That is not true he Colston was a slave trader and a murderer 44 Police Superintendent Andy Bennett also stated he understood that Colston was a historical figure that s caused the black community quite a lot of angst over the last couple of years adding Whilst I am disappointed that people would damage one of our statues I do understand why it s happened it s very symbolic 42 nbsp The empty pedestal showing placards and graffiti Rees made a statement suggesting that it s important to listen to those who found the statue to represent an affront to humanity and make the legacy of today about the future of our city tackling racism and inequality I call on everyone to challenge racism and inequality in every corner of our city and wherever we see it 54 In an interview with Krishnan Guru Murthy he said We have a statue of someone who made their money by throwing our people into water and now he s on the bottom of the water 55 A spokesperson for Boris Johnson the Prime Minister said that he absolutely understands the strength of feeling but insisted that the democratic process should have been followed and that police should hold responsible those involved in the criminal act 52 56 57 Labour leader Keir Starmer said while the manner in which the statue had been pulled down was completely wrong it should have been removed a long long time ago He added you can t in 21st Century Britain have a slaver on a statue That statue should have been brought down properly with consent and put in a museum 52 58 The Society of Merchant Venturers in a statement on 12 June 2020 said that the fact that the statue has gone is right for Bristol To build a city where racism and inequality no longer exist we must start by acknowledging Bristol s dark past and removing statues portraits and names that memorialise a man who benefitted from trading in human lives 40 A direct descendant of Colston Philip Colston Robins wrote to the Mayor of Bristol suggesting that the city should honour moral obligations and make peace with the past including development aid and twinning with cities in West Africa affected by the slave trade 59 Retrieval and storage edit At 5 am on 11 June 2020 the statue was retrieved from Bristol Harbour by Bristol City Council 60 The statue was found filled with mud and sediments from the harbour floor The council said the statue was structurally stable although it had lost one of its coattails the walking stick and faced damage to its left side and to the foot 61 They stated they had cleaned the statue to prevent corrosion and that they planned to exhibit it in a museum without removing the graffiti and ropes placed on it by the protesters 60 62 While cleaning mud from the statue M Shed discovered an 1895 issue of Tit Bits magazine containing a handwritten date 26 October 1895 and the names of those who originally fitted the statue 63 64 65 Police investigation edit The day after the toppling the police announced that they identified 17 people in connection with the incident but had not yet made any arrests 66 On 22 June 2020 the police released images of people connected to the incident and asked the public for help identifying the individuals 67 On 1 July an unnamed 24 year old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage to the statue 68 and was bailed under police investigation 69 In September 2020 Avon and Somerset Police said that files on four people suspected of criminal damage had been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide if charges should be brought A further five people had been offered restorative justice such as a fine and community service 70 By 1 October 2020 a total of six people had accepted conditional cautions relating to the events of 7 June 69 Criminal charges and trial edit Main article R v Rhian Graham Milo Ponsford Jake Skuse and Sage Willoughby On 9 December 2020 four people Rhian Graham Milo Ponsford Jake Skuse and Sage Willoughby often referred to as the Colston 4 71 were charged with causing criminal damage in relation to the toppling of the statue 72 They appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on 2 March 2021 and entered a plea of not guilty 73 Their trial began at Bristol Crown Court on 13 December 2021 74 Before the trial the graffiti artist Banksy produced a T shirt to be sold to support the accused 75 The four did not deny that they toppled the statue but advanced several defences that doing so was not an act of criminal damage within the meaning of the law One defence was that the statue had not in fact been damaged indeed that it had been made more valuable by the process of toppling removal from the harbour and display in the museum A second was that the removal of the statue helped to prevent another crime because the display of the statue itself was a criminal act of displaying indecent or abusive material saying Colston s continued veneration in a vibrant multicultural city was an act of abuse 76 Two defendants also argued that they believed the statue was collectively owned by the people of Bristol who in the circumstances would agree with the act of toppling it In fact the statue was owned by Bristol City Council but even a mistaken belief about the owner and the owners intentions would have been grounds for acquittal if the jury felt that belief was sincerely held The judge also advised the jury that even if not convinced by any of these arguments the jury could still acquit on the basis that a conviction for criminal damage would in the circumstances represent a disproportionate interference with the defendants right of freedom of expression The jury would have to weigh the importance of property owners rights not to have property e g statues damaged with the right to freedom of expression 77 On 5 January 2022 the jury found the four defendants not guilty of criminal damage 76 by a majority of 11 to 1 after deliberating for three hours 78 Because juries never provide any rationale or documentation for their verdict it is unclear which of the defence arguments they found persuasive 77 While stating that trial by jury is an important guardian of liberty and must not be undermined Suella Braverman the attorney general said she is carefully considering whether to refer the case to the Court of Appeal as the result was causing confusion 79 Braverman s statement was alleged by former Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald and shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry to be politically motivated 80 On 12 April 2022 Braverman referred the case to the Court of Appeal to seek clarification on whether defendants can cite their human rights as a defence in a case of criminal damage 81 The ruling by the Court of Appeal which did not affect the jury acquittal in the original case was handed down on 28 September 2022 It ruled that defences on the basis of human rights could only be made in criminal damage cases when the value of the property damaged is low 82 After the toppling editThe day after the toppling 8 June a cardboard plaque bearing the text This plaque is dedicated to the slaves that were taken from their homes was taped onto the plinth to cover the bronze commemorative plaque on the south face that described Colston as virtuous and wise 83 After the toppling of Colston s statue a similar monument to Robert Milligan the slave trader who was largely responsible for the construction of the West India Docks in east London was removed by Tower Hamlets London Borough Council on 9 June 2020 84 85 On the same day the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called for London statues and street names with links to slavery to be removed or renamed Khan set up the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to review London s landmarks 86 Support for and opposition to the statue s removal continued in the Bristol area In what a local councillor believed was retaliation the headstone and footstone for the enslaved man Scipio Africanus were vandalised in the churchyard of St Mary s Church Henbury Bristol on 17 June The attacker broke one of the stones in two and scrawled a warning to put Colston s statue back or things will really heat up 87 After Colston s statue was removed a petition began to have a statue of Paul Stephenson erected in its place 88 The former Bristol youth worker is a black man who was instrumental in the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott inspired by the US Montgomery bus boycott which brought an end to a then legal employment colour ban in Bristol bus companies 89 While the plinth has remained empty a number of unofficial statues have been placed upon it On 11 July 2020 a mannequin dressed as deceased television presenter Jimmy Savile appeared on the plinth along with a cardboard sign None of them stopped me and your licence paid for it The mannequin was on the plinth for about an hour before being removed 90 In the early morning of 15 July 2020 a statue by Marc Quinn was placed on the empty plinth without permission from the authorities The statue entitled A Surge of Power Jen Reid 2020 depicts a Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid with a raised fist 91 92 Quinn described it as a new temporary public installation 93 Bristol City Council removed the statue on the morning of 16 July 94 and it was returned to Quinn An application for planning permission for A Surge of Power to be installed for two years was sought in summer 2020 rejected appealed in March 2021 95 and finally refused in November 2021 96 On 2 December 2020 a figurine of Darth Vader appeared on the plinth in what was seen as a tribute to the actor David Prowse who was born in Bristol and died on 29 November 2020 97 Reinterpretation possible replacement and permanent display editIn September 2020 Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees set up the We Are Bristol History Commission described as an independent group who will help Bristol better understand its history and how it became the city it is today work with citizens and community groups to make sure that everyone in the city can share their views on Bristol s history build an improved shared understanding of Bristol s story for future generations 98 A city council spokesperson said that the commission would include the issues around the Colston statue as a starting point and it would also address wider historic issues in the city 99 The Commission is chaired by Dr Tim Cole of the University of Bristol with other members including Madge Dresser and David Olusoga There was criticism that the commission was dominated by academics at the expense of local community members 99 nbsp Defaced Colston statue on display at the M Shed in 2021 The Colston statue was put on exhibition from 4 June to 5 September 2021 at the M Shed museum in Bristol 100 101 It was displayed horizontally on a wooden support with the graffiti remaining John Finch head of culture and creative industries at Bristol City Council stated that after considerable thought the statue was being displayed horizontally because its damaged state meant that it was unstable and otherwise needed expensive support and to enable visitors to see the statue and the graffiti and damage close up Some of the demonstration placards air dried to preserve them were displayed nearby 102 103 104 The museum s website stated This temporary display is the start of a conversation not a complete exhibition and invited members of the public to express their views on the future of the statue and its plinth 105 Immediately after the statue had been put on exhibition with entry only by free pre booking people who had wanted the statue to be returned to public view on its plinth block booked the exhibit with no intention of attending so that it could not be seen by the public 106 In response the museum changed its online booking system We re always more than happy to accommodate walk ups if we haven t reached our Covid secure capacity 101 After the temporary exhibition closed the responses were considered by the We Are Bristol History Commission with a report expected by early 2022 The Mayor will then decide the future of the statue 107 On 4 August 2021 planning inspector J P Sargent dismissed an appeal against the city council s refusal to grant a temporary permission to reinstate for a period of two years Marc Quinn s statue of Jen Reid He stated that because no consent had been given for the Colston statue to be removed it remained in law part of the whole monument and could be returned to its plinth He stated that the special architectural and historic interest of the monument which had resulted in it being listed was partly based on the quality of the design of the statue and that to replace it with a statue of someone else would appreciably undermine the Monument s historic integrity 108 On 3 February 2022 the We Are Bristol History Commission recommended following public consultation that the toppled and defaced Colston statue should be put on display in the city s museum in its existing state and presented in a nuanced contextualised and engaging way They recommended that temporary artworks should be placed on the remaining plinth with periods of intentional emptiness 109 In March 2024 the statue in its defaced state went on permanent display in Bristol s M Shed museum as part of an exhibit about protest 110 See also edit nbsp Visual arts portal 1895 in art Actions against memorials in the United Kingdom during the George Floyd protests List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests List of public statues of individuals linked to the Atlantic slave tradeReferences edit a b Colston s Day at Bristol The Times London 14 November 1895 p 10 a b c d Historic England Statue of Edward Colston 1202137 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 7 June 2020 a b Morgan Kenneth 1999 Edward Colston and Bristol PDF Bristol Bristol Branch of the Historical Association p 3 Archived PDF from the original on 8 June 2020 a b COLSTON Edward II 1636 1721 of Mortlake Surr History of Parliament Online Archived from the original on 12 June 2020 Retrieved 22 June 2020 a b c Morgan Kenneth September 2004 Colston Edward Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 5996 Archived from the original on 17 June 2015 Retrieved 11 June 2020 Subscription or UK public library membership required Pocock Nigel Cook Victoria 17 February 2011 The Business of Enslavement BBC Archived from the original on 22 June 2020 Retrieved 20 October 2020 Parkes Pamela February 2018 Who was Edward Colston and why is Bristol divided by his legacy BBC News Archived from the original on 1 November 2020 Retrieved 20 October 2020 Edward Colston PMSA National Recording Project Archived from the original on 9 January 2010 Retrieved 9 May 2007 Saner Emine 29 April 2017 Renamed and shamed taking on Britain s slave trade past from Colston Hall to Penny Lane The Guardian Archived from the original on 24 May 2018 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Lewis Helen 9 August 2021 History Was Never Subject to Democratic Control The Atlantic Retrieved 31 August 2021 a b c Colston Anniversary Bristol Mercury 14 November 1895 The Colston Statue Bristol Mercury 30 December 1895 Watts James Edward Colston statue toppled how Bristol came to see the slave trader as a hero and philanthropist The Conversation Archived from the original on 24 August 2020 Retrieved 29 October 2020 Foyle Andrew 2004 Bristol Pevsner Architectural Guides New Haven US and London Yale University Press p 125 ISBN 0 300 10442 1 Wilkins H J 1920 Edward Colston 1636 1721 A D a chronological account of his life and work Bristol J W Arrowsmith p 93 OCLC 629979568 Ng Kate 8 June 2020 Who was Bristol slave trader Edward Colston The Independent Archived from the original on 4 October 2020 Retrieved 29 October 2020 Morgan Kenneth 1999 Edward Colston and Bristol PDF Bristol Bristol Branch of the Historical Association p 18 Archived from the original PDF on 8 June 2020 a b Hochschild Adam 2006 Bury the Chains New York City Mariner Books p 15 Gee Gabriel N Vogelaar Alison 4 July 2018 Changing Representations of Nature and the City The 1960s 1970s and their Legacies Routledge ISBN 978 1 134 96840 4 Trophies of Empire Exhibition guide relating to an exhibition 1992 Diaspora Artists 1992 Archived from the original on 3 July 2020 Retrieved 2 July 2020 Trophies of Empire Bluecoat Gallery and Liverpool John Moores University School of Design amp Visual Arts in collaboration with Arnolfini and Hull Time Based Arts 1994 ISBN 978 0 907738 38 1 Archived from the original on 16 October 2020 Retrieved 13 August 2020 Wilkins Emma 29 January 1998 Graffiti attack revives Bristol slavery row The Times p 11 Dresser Madge 2009 Remembering Slavery and Abolition in Bristol Slavery amp Abolition 30 2 223 246 doi 10 1080 01440390902818955 ISSN 0144 039X S2CID 145478877 Gallagher Paul 22 June 2014 Bristol torn apart over statue of Edward Colston But is this a figure of shame or a necessary monument to the history of slavery The Independent Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Koch Emily 30 August 2013 Bristol mayor City s celebration of Edward Colston is perverse Bristol Live Archived from the original on 4 September 2013 Retrieved 16 November 2016 Pipe Ellie 24 August 2017 Revealed mystery sculptor behind plaque that brands Bristol a slavery capital Bristol24 7 Archived from the original on 9 July 2020 Retrieved 7 July 2020 Davis Krishan 27 October 2017 Unofficial plaque calling Bristol capital of Atlantic slave trade removed from Edward Colston statue Bristol Live Archived from the original on 27 March 2018 Retrieved 7 July 2020 MP calls for slave trader statue removal BBC News 11 October 2018 Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Cork Tristan 18 October 2018 100 human figures placed in front of Colston statue in city centre Bristol Live Local World Archived from the original on 30 March 2019 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Gould Rebecca Ruth 12 June 2020 Bringing Colston Down London Review of Books blog Archived from the original on 11 July 2020 Retrieved 15 July 2020 Yong Michael Ball and chain attached to Edward Colston s statue in Bristol city centre Bristol Live Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Cork Tristan 22 July 2018 The second plaque planned for Colston statue linking him to 20 000 deaths BristolLive Archived from the original on 22 July 2018 Retrieved 10 May 2021 a b Cork Tristan 23 July 2018 Theft of second Colston plaque may be justified says councillor Bristol Live Archived from the original on 18 October 2018 Retrieved 18 October 2018 a b c d e f Cork Tristan 23 August 2018 Row breaks out as Merchant Venturer accused of sanitising Edward Colston s involvement in slave trade Bristol Live Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 9 June 2020 Cork Tristan 22 July 2018 The wording of second plaque proposed for Edward Colston statue linking him to 20 000 deaths Bristol Live Archived from the original on 11 June 2020 Retrieved 14 June 2020 a b Edward Colston plaque in Bristol shows full history BBC News 25 July 2018 Archived from the original on 5 October 2020 Retrieved 14 October 2020 a b Cork Tristan 25 March 2019 Second Colston statue plaque not axed but mayor orders re write Bristol Live Archived from the original on 30 March 2019 Retrieved 30 March 2019 Edward Colston Plaque to Bristol slave trader axed over wording BBC News 25 March 2019 Archived from the original on 21 October 2020 Retrieved 14 October 2020 Horton Helena 25 March 2019 Edward Colston plaque listing his links to slavery scrapped after mayor says wording isn t harsh enough The Telegraph Archived from the original on 16 October 2020 Retrieved 14 October 2020 a b Statement from the Society of Merchant Venturers The Society of Merchant Venturers Archived from the original on 13 June 2020 Retrieved 13 June 2020 a b Protesters in England topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston into harbor CBS News 7 June 2020 Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 a b c d e Siddique Haroon 7 June 2020 BLM protesters topple statue of Bristol slave trader Edward Colston The Guardian Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Zaks Dmitry 8 June 2020 UK slave trader s statue toppled in anti racism protests The Jakarta Post Agence France Presse Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 a b George Floyd death Protesters tear down slave trader statue BBC News 7 June 2020 Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Sullivan Rory 7 June 2020 Black Lives Matter protesters pull down statue of 17th century UK slave trader The Independent Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Grubb Sophie 5 June 2020 It s a disgrace Thousands call for removal of controversial Bristol statue Bristol Live Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Evans Martin 8 June 2020 Intervening to prevent toppling of Colston statue could have sparked a riot says Chief Constable The Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Avon and Somerset Police ASPolice 7 June 2020 Statement from Bristol Area Commander Superintendent Andy Bennett following Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol Tweet Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 via Twitter Max Foster Nada Bashir Rob Picheta Susannah Cullinane 7 June 2020 UK protesters topple slave trader statue CNN Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Priti Patel Toppling Edward Colston statue utterly disgraceful Sky News Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Sullivan Rory 7 June 2020 Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol pull down and throw statue of 17th century slave trader into river The Independent Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 a b c d Edward Colston Bristol slave trader statue was an affront BBC News 8 June 2020 Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 9 June 2020 King Jasper 8 June 2020 Edward Colston statue Mayor gives update on statue s future Bristol Live Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Grimshaw Emma 7 June 2020 Mayor Marvin Rees issues statement on the Black Lives Matter protest and the toppling of Colston s statue Bristol Live Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Guru Murthy Krishnan 7 June 2020 We have a statue of someone who made their money by throwing our people into water and now he s on the bottom of the water Marvin Rees elected Mayor of Bristol Channel 4 News Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Neilan Cat 8 June 2020 Politics latest news Prime Minister absolutely understands strength of feeling but toppling statue still criminal act The Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 George Floyd Boris Johnson urges peaceful struggle against racism BBC News 8 June 2020 Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 9 June 2020 Walker Peter 8 June 2020 Keir Starmer pulling down Edward Colston statue was wrong The Guardian Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Ben Quinn 17 June 2020 Bristol should make peace with slavery past says Colston descendant The Guardian a b Edward Colston statue pulled out of Bristol Harbour BBC News 11 June 2020 Archived from the original on 11 June 2020 Retrieved 11 June 2020 Restoring Colston s statue graffiti bike tyre and all Bristol 24 7 17 June 2020 Archived from the original on 28 October 2020 Retrieved 22 October 2020 Images released as part of Colston statue investigation Avon and Somerset Police 2 June 2020 Archived from the original on 23 June 2020 Retrieved 22 June 2020 M Shed mshedbristol 11 June 2020 We ended up with two surprise additions Firstly a bicycle tyre which emerged from the harbour with the statue and then the discovery of a clue to the people who first installed it in Bristol A 1895 magazine rolled up inside the coat tails Tweet Archived from the original on 11 June 2020 Retrieved 12 June 2020 via Twitter M Shed mshedbristol 11 June 2020 After careful cleaning and drying we found someone had handwritten the names of those who originally fitted the statue and the date on the inside pages Tweet Archived from the original on 11 June 2020 Retrieved 12 June 2020 via Twitter Brewis Harriet 12 June 2020 125 year old magazine found hidden inside toppled Colston statue Evening Standard Archived from the original on 13 June 2020 Retrieved 13 June 2020 Johnson urges peaceful struggle against racism BBC News 8 June 2020 Archived from the original on 8 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Appeal to identify Colston statue protesters BBC News 2 June 2020 Archived from the original on 22 June 2020 Retrieved 22 June 2020 Edward Colston statue Man held over criminal damage BBC News 1 July 2020 Archived from the original on 1 July 2020 Retrieved 1 July 2020 a b Edward Colston statue Six accept conditional cautions BBC News Online 2 October 2020 Archived from the original on 17 January 2021 Retrieved 16 March 2021 Edward Colston statue Cases sent to Crown Prosecution Service BBC News 18 September 2020 Archived from the original on 2 October 2020 Retrieved 23 September 2020 Bennett Geoffrey Cork Tristan December 2021 Colston 4 trial updates Bristol Crown Court BristolLive Updated several times a day during the trial Jessica Murray 9 December 2020 Four charged over damage to Colston statue in Bristol The Guardian Archived from the original on 9 December 2020 Edward Colston Four deny damage to Bristol statue BBC News Online 2 March 2021 Archived from the original on 16 March 2021 Gayle Damien 13 December 2021 Accused said Colston statue was an abhorrent offence to Bristol trial hears The Guardian Banksy designs T shirts to raise funds for Colston Four accused of Bristol statue damage The Guardian 11 December 2021 a b BLM protesters cleared over toppling of Edward Colston statue The Guardian 5 January 2022 Retrieved 5 January 2022 a b The Secret Barrister Why did the jury find the Colston Four not guilty The Times ISSN 0140 0460 Retrieved 9 January 2022 Colston Four cleared of criminal damage Apollo Magazine 6 January 2022 Retrieved 6 January 2022 Booth Martin 7 January 2022 Colston 4 Case could be Sent to Appeal Court B24 7 Retrieved 8 January 2022 Suella Braverman accused of politically driven meddling over Colston Four The Guardian 7 January 2022 Retrieved 7 January 2022 Gayle Damien 13 April 2022 Colston Four acquittal to be referred to court of appeal The Guardian Retrieved 13 April 2022 Cork Tristan 28 September 2022 Appeal Court rules Colston 4 should not have used human rights defence Bristol Post Sign taped over plaque that describes slave trader as virtuous and wise York Press 8 June 2020 Retrieved 13 May 2022 Mason Rowena Pidd Helen 9 June 2020 Labour councils launch slavery statue review as another is removed The Guardian Archived from the original on 10 June 2020 Retrieved 10 June 2020 Robert Milligan Slave trader statue removed from outside London museum BBC News 9 June 2020 Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 9 June 2020 London statues with slavery links should be taken down BBC News 9 June 2020 Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 9 June 2020 Enslaved African man s headstone vandalised BBC News 18 June 2020 Archived from the original on 1 November 2020 Retrieved 29 August 2021 Ross Alex 7 June 2020 Petition calls for statue of Bristol civil rights activist Paul Stephenson to be erected in Colston s place Bristol Live Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Webb Elizabeth 7 October 2019 The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963 Black History 365 Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2020 Grimshaw Emma 11 July 2020 Mannequin of Jimmy Savile placed on Edward Colston s plinth BristolLive Jen Reid Statue of Black Lives Matter protester appears on Colston plinth BBC News 15 July 2020 Archived from the original on 15 July 2020 Bland Archie 15 July 2020 Edward Colston statue replaced by sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 July 2020 Retrieved 15 July 2020 A joint statement from Marc Quinn and Jen Reid Marc Quinn Archived from the original on 29 August 2021 Retrieved 15 July 2020 Black Lives Matter protester statue removed BBC News 16 July 2020 Archived from the original on 16 July 2020 Retrieved 16 July 2020 Harris Gareth 22 March 2021 Marc Quinn s BLM protestor statue could be reinstalled on Bristol plinth that held slave trader monument The Art Newspaper Speechlys Charles Russell 1 November 2021 Colston Statue Appeal Dismissed Lexology Murray Robin Farell Roig Estel 2 December 2020 Darth Vader figure appears on Colston plinth in Bristol Bristol Post Archived from the original on 5 December 2020 Retrieved 2 December 2020 We Are Bristol History Commission Bristol City Council Retrieved 31 August 2021 a b Tristan Cork We Are Bristol History Commission has extreme lack of Bristolians involved Bristol Post 30 September 2020 Retrieved 31 August 2021 Morris Steven 28 May 2021 Statue of slave trader Edward Colston to go on display in Bristol museum The Guardian Archived from the original on 30 May 2021 Retrieved 31 May 2021 a b Adams Geraldine Kendall 8 June 2021 Changes made after Colston exhibition hit by blockbooking protests Museums Association News Archived from the original on 25 June 2021 Edward Colston statue to go on display in Bristol exhibition BBC News 4 June 2021 Archived from the original on 3 June 2021 Retrieved 4 June 2021 Cork Tristan 3 June 2021 How Edward Colston s statue will be displayed in Bristol BristolLive Archived from the original on 29 August 2021 Retrieved 4 June 2021 Humphries Will 4 June 2021 Bristol s protracted debate over angle of Edward Colston statue The Times Archived from the original on 4 June 2021 Retrieved 4 June 2021 The Colston Statue What next Bristol Museums Archived from the original on 4 June 2021 Gayle Damien 7 June 2021 Campaigners try to block Edward Colston display at Bristol museum The Guardian Archived from the original on 7 June 2021 Retrieved 7 June 2021 The Colston Statue What next Bristol Museums Retrieved 15 December 2021 Huw Morris Appeal Inspector rejects replacement sculpture for deposed Colston statue The Planner 10 August 2021 Archived 16 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2021 Colston statue should be displayed in museum public says BBC News 3 February 2022 Retrieved 3 February 2022 Edward Colston statue goes on permanent display in Bristol museum BBC News 14 March 2024 Retrieved 16 March 2024 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Statue of Edward Colston Bristol Hulme Charlie Nicolson Lis Edward Colston statue Bristol 1895 John Cassidy Manchester sculptor Includes period photographs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Statue of Edward Colston amp oldid 1220116754, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.