Colston statue topplers acquitted

[SerendipityJane]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-59727161

Four people accused of illegally removing a statue of Edward Colston have been cleared of criminal damage.

Sage Willoughby, 22, Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, and Jake Skuse, 33, were charged after a monument to the 17th Century slave trader was pulled down and then thrown into the harbourside in Bristol last June.

It happened during a Black Lives Matter protest in the city.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court found them all not guilty.

During a highly publicised trial, the court heard that the statue was ripped down before being thrown into the harbour during a wave of protests triggered by the murder of African-American George Floyd by a white police officer.

The four defendants, together with "others unknown", were accusing of damaging the Colston statue and plinth of a value unknown without lawful excuse.

During the trial, Mr Skuse said he took part in rolling the statue to the docks to stage a symbolic "sentencing" of the slave trader.

Oh cool I didn't know criminal damage was lawful

Can we just tear down anything with which we disagree with total impunity?

"Milo Ponsford" sounds like a Harry Enfield caricature of a posh toff.

It should have been officially removed to a museum long ago, then it wouldn't have been there to upset people. It's time we stopped venerating people whose wealth came at the expense of the misery of ordinary people. Coulston is the tip of the iceberg.

Sage, Rhian, Milo and Jake.

That cannot be real

@givethatbabyaname

Sage, Rhian, Milo and Jake.

That cannot be real

Weren't they The Tweenies?

No surprises sadly. Lefty thugs getting away with degenerate, ignorant and pathetic behaviour seems the norm nowadays.

@ArblemarzipanTFruitcake

I agree.
As I understand it for years there had been lobbying to at least even put a plague on it to more fully explain the history. All attempts were vetoed by the local council. One councillor was particularly anti any removal or even added information on the statue. I'll try to find a link and name.

@BleuJay

No surprises sadly. Lefty thugs getting away with degenerate, ignorant and pathetic behaviour seems the norm nowadays.

Seems a jury didn't agree with you. Probably time to get rid of them I guess.

Those on the thread unhappy with the acquittal, do you want the statue put back?

That's great news

I'd be interested to understand the finer points of the argument as to why this wasn't a criminal act for geeky law reasons but more broadly I think acquittal is the right result, actually. That Colston statue was a breathtaking disgrace.

Ah, but it's their time now. The youth do this stuff (have done for decades) and it causes change. In the 60s all the marches, the huge social changes, free love, the movements were the youth. It's all been a bit quiet really since. It's good to see young people shaking us up.

It's like people are waking up too. We've had a Tory government for ages now and I'm amazed that there isn't more shit like this going on.

I did drive past some graffiti the other day. It said: join a union. Scruffy, not art graffiti, and I was marvelling that maybe the youth are going to rescue us!

@NightmareSlashDelightful

I'd be interested to understand the finer points of the argument as to why this wasn't a criminal act for geeky law reasons but more broadly I think acquittal is the right result, actually. That Colston statue was a breathtaking disgrace.

It should be the duty of every citizen to understand "jury nullification" and the role of the jury as a "little parliament".

Cases should be decided on conscience before the law. Remember the people that hid Anne Frank were breaking "the law".

The law deserves the respect it gives.

I feel uncomfortable about this and I’m not a conservative or history enthusiast or anything that may defend the actual statue. They look very white middle class - same result if not? I don’t know, there’s something about protest that’s weird - criminal convictions for the insulate Britain people because they aren’t as attractive looking/ the cause isn’t as interesting? I don’t know why I’m a bit in the middle. Weird.

I think it was the right thing to do.
The crimes of Colston were much worse that the crimes of these "Lefty thugs".

@JuneOsborne

Love your post 👍🏼

@givethatbabyaname it is Bristol 😂

How now can anyone be prosecuted for pulling down a statue they disagree with. Perhaps statues of Queen Victoria could be targeted and pulled down - how can those who do that then be prosecuted, in my view this sets a dangerous precedent.

I think it was argued in court that the presences of the statue was so offensive it constituted a hate crime. In law apparently there is a get out clause that you are allowed to commit a crime to prevent a bigger crime.

I think I'm pleased about the verdict - although I think it might have held a greater symbolism somehow if they were convicted but given a symbolic sentence like a tiny fine. I think that would acknowledge both what the law says, and that there are circumstances in which society might not demand that the full penalty under law is carried out. I guess that would have implications in terms of criminal records though maybe.

Either way I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall of that jury room.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if they weren't white? I hated that statue for years when I lived in Bristol, people campaigned, wrote letters and tried everything. 'we must respect history' was the reply. I cheered when it went into the harbour but was pleased when they put it in a museum. It's important to remember history, we don't need to celebrate all of it though, just know about it.

That Colston statue was a breathtaking disgrace.

I know.
And people lobbied for years to have it taken down. Local councillors wouldn't even put up a sign giving a more complete history.

I ask again of those unhappy with the acquittal, do you want the statue put back up? Pride of place in Bristol.

You are as a juror allowed to vote with your conscience and fuck the law ... call it a check on the limits of the state into our thinking.

If ever you hear someone parrott "it's the law" because they can't be bothered to think for themselves, you know how dictatorships are born.

Since we aren't allowed to know what goes on in jury rooms, we'll have to speculate. I'd be curious to know if the jury were relatively local ? That particular statue appears to have a very long story in it's original setting.

I think that given this case people can argue that lots of statues cause deep offence. Its a difficult emotion to quantify - slavery is abhorrent, but so were so many other actions by the victorians. Maybe there should be no statues and then no-one can be offended.