A statue of slave trader Edward Colston that was toppled from its plinth and pushed into the docks by protesters has long caused anger and divided opinion in Bristol, England.
The 5.5m bronze statue had stood on Colston Avenue since 1895 as a memorial to his philanthropic works, an avenue he developed after divesting himself of links to a company involved in the selling of tens of thousands of slaves.
His works in the city included money to sustain schools, almshouses and churches.
Photo: AP
Although Colston was born in the city in 1636, he never lived there as an adult.
All his slave-trading was conducted out of the City of London.
Colston grew up in a wealthy merchant family in Bristol and after going to school in London he established himself as a successful trader in textiles and wool.
He sold his shares in the company to William, Prince of Orange, in 1689, after the latter had orchestrated the Glorious Revolution and seized power from King James the year before.
Colston then began to develop a reputation as a philanthropist who donated to charitable causes, such as schools and hospitals in Bristol and London.
He briefly served as a Conservative member of parliament for Bristol before dying in Mortlake, Surrey, in 1721. He is buried in All Saints Church in Bristol.
His philanthropy has meant the Colston name permeates Bristol. There is Colston’s, an independent school named after him, along with a concert hall, Colston Hall; a high-rise office office block, Colston Tower; Colston Street and Colston Avenue.
Campaigners have argued for years that his connections with slavery mean his contribution to the city should be reassessed. It was decided in 2018 to change the the statue’s plaque to include mention of his slave-trading activities, but a final wording was never agreed.
A petition that gathered thousands of signatures last week said he had “no place” in the city.
“Whilst history shouldn’t be forgotten, these people who benefited from the enslavement of individuals do not deserve the honor of a statue. This should be reserved for those who bring about positive change and who fight for peace, equality and social unity,” the petition reads.
“We hereby encourage Bristol City Council to remove the Edward Colston statue. He does not represent our diverse and multicultural city,” it says.
Bristol Museums has sought to explain the reason for the statue remaining in the city and says on its Web site that “Colston never, as far as we know, traded in enslaved Africans on his own account.”
“What we do know is that he was an active member of the governing body of the RAC [Royal African Co], which traded in enslaved Africans, for 11 years,” it said.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
RSS