In the United Kingdom, they had unbolted a statue in Bristol, in June 2020, during a demonstration in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The sculpture depicted Edward Colston, a 17th-century city businessman involved in the slave trade. The 4 demonstrators were accused of vandalism, the court exonerated them.
From our correspondent in London, Émeline Wine
Tears in their eyes and smiles from ear to ear, the “Bristol 4″ did not expect this verdict. ” If I have learned one thing, it is the fact of being able to make our own choices, that each one has the capacity to choose how the space is arranged, who we celebrate. If there is one thing to remember, it’s that Edward Colston does not represent Bristol! », Comments Rhian Graham, out of court.
Bansky’s support
Among the supporters of the four thirty-something: many residents, the former mayor of the city and the Bristol artist Banksy, who designed a T-shirt to finance legal costs. The lawyer for two of the defendants, Raj Chada, welcomes the jury’s decision on the BBC: ” The locals have shown common sense. What was criminal was the statue, its presence in itself. A person who enslaved thousands of people was revered, there was only a plaque depicting him as a nobleman and one of Bristol’s most enlightened sons. “
For Sage Willoughby, who provided the rope used to unbolt Edward Colston, this is a victory for history: “ We haven’t changed history, we have rectified it. They were covering up History! It’s a victory for racial equality and a victory for all who want to be on the right side of history. “.
The statue, still covered in graffiti, is now on display in a city museum.
► See also: United Kingdom: four activists tried for overturning the statue of a slave trader