To feel emotional at the slave trader statue

[Millicent10]

being pulled down earlier.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52954305

This says so much and the symbolism of throwing it in the river is such a suitable ending. Reminds everyone what happened to so many slaves.

That’s so fucking patronising. Have you not bothered to listen to the many black people who clearly stated their reasons for taking the calculated risks in order to attend the protests? Or do you think you know better and can talk for them?

We're wasting our breath. Karens are going to Karen

twitter.com/kingsrush/status/1269700749237207043?s=19

We're wasting our breath. Karens are going to Karen

But I'm Karenning on the other side! I want to speak to management about systemic racism if you please. . .

Jimmy Saville did lots for charity you know!!! Statue anyone? No..??

Jimmy Saville was trending on Twitter today and yesterday, a lot of people saying the exact same thing.
Should he have a statue? After all, he did an incredible amount of good work for charity?
He wasn't "all" bad, if I was to go by some views on here?

@AKissAndASmile

I’m tired of being accused of defending what’s his face the very bad white man because I think tearing down the statue was pointless, meaningless, and wildly irresponsible endangerment of BAME lives.

We'll stop fucking defending him then

Exactly... I agree with @AKissAndASmile

People need to stop defending this vile man.

If you choose to defend him, expect people to notice that you’re defending him.

Expect people to call you out.

To me I think Bristol and Brunel. I was vaguely aware of Colston and being a slaver, but not of the enormity of the trade.

@Rowantree2020 you're absolutely correct, it's not the way to resolve in a democracy. 20 years of letters, petitions and campaigning should have done that. I signed petitions to have it removed when I lived in Bristol and I left almost 10 years ago.

But I'm Karenning on the other side! I want to speak to management about systemic racism if you please. . .
Love it!

@amoobaa I’m sorry you were offended by someone suggesting that it would have been better for the council to have taken down the statue following a democratic process rather than by direct action. I have personal experience of living in a country where people stepped outside the democratic process because it wasn’t working for them. It started with optimism and hope and it ended in horror. So, as I’ve explained before, I am understandably terrified when democracy does not work and people start taking direct action. My initial thoughts are why democracy seemingly failed in Bristol and how it can be fixed? But according to some on this thread this makes me a racist

@AKissAndASmile please don’t do the Karen thing.

Are we going to tear them all down? Where do you stop and draw the line with this?

Maybe once we've stopped systemic racism? 🤔

AKissAndASmile please don’t do the Karen thing.
Ok, if you don't do the racism thing it's a deal!

Amoobaa

What about the other BLM protests you say? We’re not talking about the BLM protests that had social distancing. This thread is about the Bristol protest which clearly had no social distancing and next to no PPE.

What about what some of my black friends you say? They’re entitled to their opinion, as am I. Why do you seem to think that any black person is professing to speak for all black people?

What about institutional racism? I never said it doesn’t kill. I think I would know about that being BAME myself....

I’m incredibly offensive by saying the protesters were having a good time. Did you not see the videos or the posts from those that were there? Hear the cheers? See the grins and jumping up and down?

I do take this very seriously, it’s just that I happen to rank the lives of BAME doctors and nurses above the need to ignore social distancing and pandemic safety measures to tear down a statue of a dead white man. The action itself does nothing. Quick, tell me, what blow did it strike against systemic racism? Will blacks have better job opportunities? Less chance of growing up in poverty? Was there a magic genie in the statue and we now get three wishes? Oh great statue genie I wish the US police would stop murdering black people.

I was just mulling it over. For the good White folk of Bristol, he did a lot of good, yes? For the good Black folk, stolen from their countries, their families, their cultures? Not so much. And now, perhaps, pigeons are coming home to roost on that particular statue. Or not.

@akissandasmile do you honestly think anything I’ve said on this thread is racist?

I think I would know about that being BAME myself....

Most black and so called minorities don't support the use of the phrase 'BAME' and here is why:

thecyclingordinand.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/whos-the-minority-now/

I was just mulling it over. For the good White folk of Bristol, he did a lot of good, yes? For the good Black folk, stolen from their countries, their families, their cultures? Not so much

Very good point - which brings us back to the protest - black lives matter too! Not just white ones.

[quote AKissAndASmile]I think I would know about that being BAME myself....

Most black and so called minorities don't support the use of the phrase 'BAME' and here is why:

thecyclingordinand.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/whos-the-minority-now/[/quote]
What has that to do with anything?
You want to talk about BAME as a thing, start your own thread.

What has that to do with anything?
You want to talk about BAME as a thing, start your own thread.
LOL. Thanks, thread police.

@akissandasmile I thought not.

@SmileEachDay

I was very at the white protesters racing to the front.

Perhaps they should have stood back and let BAME protesters lead.

why should they have stood back?! whites SHOULD be taking action against racism and slavery

I thought not
About what?

@MacBlank

To the my now attackers, that came out wrong. I'm not not was I trying to be arrogant, I'm just pissed off.

The man spent a small portion of his life doing wrong, but so much more of his life doing good. The doing good was after the slave trading.

Bristol is an amazing city, and lots of that is down to Ed. I'm not blinded by his good deeds, it's just I'm not like others focused on just his early life and bad deeds.

To try to wipe.out ed and his memory, is an affront to Bristol, and to the slave trade as a whole.

I just hate that such vandalism is smiled on by so many of you. Are smiling at the graphiti on the cenotaph, or Churchill's statue?

I have never, and will never condone what happened back then. I just don't think what was done was not only not the right way to do it, but also wrong to insult so many Bristolians.

This could've and should've been done properly.

Ahh so he done good AFTER his slave trading, with the money made from STEALING thousands of people, transporting them to another land and FORCING them to do unpaid hard labour just because of the colour of their skin?!? Also none of the ‘good’ he did was intended for black people so excuse me if no-one gives a fuck. He didnt learn the error of his ways and fund communities in Africa to allow them to prosper. He solely sought to benefit WHITE people with his schools etc I hope he is rolling in his grave right now seeing that young BLACK children are gaining an education in his schools at his expense

Just out of interest Mbosnz what would you like the outcome of this to be?
Institutional racism exists for all colours alike does it not? Or do you think it is special to one colour and is owned by them solely?

No BAME people in the lead here at all.

Institutional racism exists for all colours alike does it not? Or do you think it is special to one colour and is owned by them solely?

Do explain your interesting views