Anti-racism protesters in England have pulled down a statue of a 17th-century slave trader while demonstrating in solidarity with the US Black Lives Matter movement.
The protesters in the city of Bristol, in southwest England, tied the bronze statue of Edward Colston with rope before toppling it to cheers from the surrounding crowd.Activists around the world call for end to systemic racismDemonstrators were later seen rolling the statue to the nearby harbor and throwing it into the River Avon.While the incident garnered much celebration among protesters, local police say an investigation has been launched into the incident.
The moment #BlackLivesMattterUK pulled down the statue of merchant slave trader Edward Colston in #Bristol— Sam June 7, 2020 'Reviled slave trader'The Museums of Bristol website describes Colston as a"revered philanthropist / reviled slave trader." It says he was born in the city in 1636, but spent his working life in London, becoming"an active member of the governing body of the RAC [Royal African Company], which traded in enslaved Africans, for 11 years.
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