Bristol council to place Edward Colston statue in museum after Black Lives Matter protesters topple figure

Imogen Braddick10 June 2020

The statue of Edward Colston which was thrown Bristol's harbour during an anti-racism protest will be fished out and put in one of the city's museums, the mayor has confirmed.

Marvin Rees said the statue of the slave trader will be displayed alongside Black Lives Matter placards from the recent protest "so the 300-year-story of slavery through to today’s fight for racial equality can be learned about".

A commission of historians and other experts will also research and share Bristol’s “true history” following the removal of the statue, Mr Rees said.

“The events over the last few days have really highlighted that as a city we all have very different understandings of our past," Mr Rees said in a statement.

"The only way we can work together on our future is by learning the truth of our beginnings, embracing the facts, and sharing those stories with others. This is why this commission is so important."

Protesters throw statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour

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Mr Rees, the UK’s first directly elected black mayor, added: “Education of our history has often been flawed.

"More accuracy of our city’s history which is accessible to all will help us understand each other, our differences, our contradictions and our complexities.”

Any decision on the future of the plinth on which the statue stood will be “decided democratically through consultation”, the mayor said.

Mr Rees previously described the tearing down of the statue as an “iconic moment” after it was pulled down and dragged through the streets, before being thrown in the harbour.

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

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

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

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

Ms Bilal said the inclusion of protesters' placards in any museum exhibit would be "a good reflection on the fact that the people of Bristol have a voice and have the power to change this city".

She also insisted any museum placing for Colston's statue would "only be acceptable if the description attached acknowledged his past as a slave trader, for the purpose of educating people".

Home Secretary Priti Patel has called the tearing down of the statue "utterly disgraceful" and called for a full investigation.

She is reported to have had a “firm” discussion with Andy Marsh, chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police, about why officers did not intervene when the statue was torn down.

But Mr Marsh has insisted there was “no lack of courage” when his officers made the tactical decision, describing how the bronze memorial was pulled down in just two minutes.

He told a Facebook Live event with Sue Mountstevens, Avon and Somerset’s police and crime commissioner, that intervening risked a “violent confrontation”.

The statue was pulled down with ropes and dragged through the streets to the harbour
PA

He said: “Had they intervened, I think the consequences could have been incredibly serious and we might have become the epicentre of a new wave of protests around the whole world, never mind what would have happened in Bristol.

“They decided not to. We have got massive amounts of CCTV and social media footage of who is responsible.

“They made the decision that post-incident, the long arm of the law, so to speak, could catch up with those people and bring them to justice and our objectives, protecting life and property, were better served by not intervening.

“I think they acted with common sense, sound judgement. There was no lack of courage.”

Mr Marsh said the force would carry out a “painstaking” review of the footage, interview suspects and present a case to the Crown Prosecution Service “as quickly as possible”.

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