As the protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement continue to sweep the world, protesters in the U.K. showed that enough is enough as they tore down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in southwest England.
According to CNN, the statue of Edward Colton, a 17th century slave trader has stood in Bristol’s City Center since 1985 and has been a controversial piece for many years. There have been several petitions demanding for its removal, and on Sunday protesters took matters into their own hands.
In several videos posted throughout social media, protesters can be seen using a rope to take the statue down from its pedestal. They are then seen taking it over to the nearby river, which is River Avon, and throwing it in as it quickly sinks.
Avon and Somerset police said in a statement, “There was a small group of people who clearly committed an act of criminal damage in pulling down a statue near Bristol Harbourside. An investigation will be carried out to identify those involved and we are already collating footage of the incident.”
In cities across the U.S. officials have been looking to remove statues of Confederate figures in the wake of the recent protests. As we previously reported, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced last week the removal of the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
He said during a press conference, “You see, in Virginia, we no longer preach a false version of history. One that pretends the Civil War was about ‘state rights’ and not the evils of slavery. No one believes that any longer.”
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
