Abstract
This paper considers the fall of the statue of Edward Colston in long historical perspective and reflects on the place of history, memory and ‘heritage’ within this. The statue has its own long history of protest and challenge, and this paper makes the case for telling the whole history around both its erection and rejection in Bristol.
Highlights
On 7 June during a Black Lives Matter protest in the centre of Bristol activists pulled down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston which had stood on that spot since 1895
The protesters cheered, as many climbed the plinth, one woman giving the Black Power salute from where the statue once looked over inner-city Bristol
The protesters rolled the heavy statue around the waterfront and dumped it into Bristol Harbour by Pero’s Bridge which was commemoratively named after an enslaved man living in Bristol in the eighteenth century
Summary
On 7 June during a Black Lives Matter protest in the centre of Bristol activists pulled down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston which had stood on that spot since 1895. The grassroots campaigning group ‘Countering Colston’ have sought to challenge celebrations of Colston across the city through protest, campaigns on their website and through public history work including walking tours of the city.
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