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.

@GazeboParty I certainly did. I was unaware of this man before today.

I’m a Bristolian. There have been petitions and campaigns to democratically get the name and glorification of Colston removed from Bristol for DECADES! But the council always resisted.

Institutional racism needs to be challenged. I was bloody delighted to see that statue topple. Sometimes civil disobedience is justified. It’s not like throwing bikes at police horses. It’s an inanimate object, no one was hurt.

Whilst I don't disagree with removal of a statue of a known slave trader in a city centre in the 21st century, I am curious as to what criminal acts by today's standards and how far back in time we have to go to justify such actions. Should for example the statue of Cromwell outside Parliament be removed for his genocide against the Irish or the Viking Statue in York be removed because of their crimes of rape or even Stonehenge levelled because they used slave labour??

The council have been lobbied for years to remove it or at least add a plaque making clear his ills and they’ve done NOTHING!!

Should have come down years ago

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. I think symbols of an oppressive past are necessary reminders. To hide the evidence away lessens what happened and minimizes the suffering of the people who lived it. The statue should be kept as a shameful reminder and as a lesson for generations to learn.

@thedancingbear

^ How silencing is that for black people to walk past every day for 125 years

Only if they let it silence them.^

So pollykettles if BAME people are upset by the statue, it's their fault?

You really are the most appalling specimen.

Being upset is understandable, of course they are. But if they let themselves be silenced and don't take action then that is their decision.

And no, I am not the most appalling specimen. It's so ironic that you object to the slave trade yet are prepared to refer to another individual as a specimen, something which the likes of Colston would have done readily. You are quite like him in that respect.

*No, I am not stickng up for him. I have clearly stated that what he did was morally wrong but it was within the law. The law that he acted within was wrong.

The protesters today were not acting within the law. They have committed vandalism, criminal damage and pollution of a waterway.*

Pathetic

I think it's a missed opportunity to use the statue as a prompt to educate and inform people of the past. Use it as a talking point that he did these terrible things and also buildings that stand in the city today were paid for by slave trade profits. By erasing this man from the city you are erasing the plight of those people.

Woopeedo - let's hope everyone is very happy the statue has been removed. And the next 'worthy' cause ......??

Yanbu OP, I felt emotional watching it too. This was long overdue.

I was in Bristol this morning For a socially distanced harbour walk
Left when the police horse boxes arrived - looked like trouble ahead
I’m most impressed they rolled it as far as they did to get it in the harbour it must have been heavy

beautiful 👏🏽👏🏽 good riddance

And, isn’t it time we do something about the current slavery? If we want to do penance for the ills of our own PAST society errors, maybe we can help the current victims. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_21st_century

I have/had no idea who that person was. I feel that chucking it in the river was a bad move however.

Our history is our history. The good and the bad.

What about a statue of a victim being erected, that will educate. We have to start thinking of history from the victims rather than the perpetrators viewpoint. And I know its hard as few records exist, read Toni Morrison. More people learned about the trans Atlantic slave trade from watching Roots than anyone walking past a statue of a slave trader. In all if this, shouldn't the victims voices be allowed?

I'm so happy its down! Absolutely disgusted its been allowed to stay up for so long though.Good riddance!

Indeed! Disgusting it was ever put up alley alone allowed to stay there.

There's something seriously racist wrong with people that think it was ok to be there...

You don’t behave like that in a civilised society

If we truly lived in a civilised society then racism would not be a issue that so many people have to deal with day in and day out

I’m surprised it was still standing in 2020. Have just watched A House Through Time (really really interesting series) and this series was about a house in Bristol built by a slave trader was surprised to learn of the connection Bristol had with the slave trade (though not something I had thought about before)

But if they let themselves be silenced and don't take action then that is their decision.

Oh sweet Jesus....

I think the pp who called you appalling let you off lightly.

@ArnoldBee

I think it's a missed opportunity to use the statue as a prompt to educate and inform people of the past. Use it as a talking point that he did these terrible things and also buildings that stand in the city today were paid for by slave trade profits. By erasing this man from the city you are erasing the plight of those people.

He's been there for years and racism hasn't gone away- People of the city know who he is and still the council did nothing. Statues in London similarly, have been there for many years and little has changed. There have been ample opportunities for govt to provide the space for educators to give the real backstory- but they haven't. There have been ample opportunities to add to the plaques by the statues detailing the crimes of the past- but the govt has done nothing. So best move them out of sight, and in educational setting like museums.

• let alone. No idea where alley came from

I think it's a missed opportunity to use the statue as a prompt to educate and inform people of the past. Use it as a talking point that he did these terrible things and also buildings that stand in the city today were paid for by slave trade profits

But that's exactly what happened today - my dc watched it on the BBC website and we talked about slavery, that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

But yes I agree having a prompt in the city centre is a good idea so I hope it's replaced with something about slavery in Bristol.

@TooLittleTooLate80

*No, I am not stickng up for him. I have clearly stated that what he did was morally wrong but it was within the law. The law that he acted within was wrong.

The protesters today were not acting within the law. They have committed vandalism, criminal damage and pollution of a waterway.*

Pathetic

I quite agree, what they did was completely pathetic.

I am from Bristol and I would have liked to have seen it retained, but removed from the plinth. It is part of the cities history. I feel that it would have been more poignant to have kept it up, but added another statute of a slave next to it, with an explanation about slavery and the history of Bristol.