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.
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