4. Colston plinth

Who was Edward Colston?

Edward Colston (1636-1721) became a high official of the London-based Royal African Company. They had the monopoly on the transatlantic traffic in enslaved Africans until 1698.

As such, Colston played an active role in the trading of over 84,000 enslaved African people (including 12,000 children) of whom over 19,000 died on their way across the Atlantic. As a Bristol MP late in life, he campaigned to keep the slave trade legal and on favourable terms for traders.

When Colston died, he left about £71,000 to charity (comparable to over £16 million today). He had given money to schools, almshouses, hospitals and Anglican churches whilst alive too.

In response to increasing class divisions the city’s elite reinvented him as a patriarchal role model and an emblem of charity, 170 years after he died. His statue was proposed as a symbol of civic pride and erected in 1895, it attracted little financial support and was largely funded by a small number of anonymous donors.

Protests in June 2020

There were protests around the world after the filmed murder of George Floyd, whilst being arrested in America. All Black Lives Bristol organised a protest against police brutality and racial inequality. On 7 June 2020, an estimated 10,000 people gathered in Bristol.

Protestors pulled down a statue of Edward Colston, graffitied it and threw it into the harbour. Four days later, Bristol City Council retrieved it. Museum conservators stabilised the condition and preserved the graffiti.

There has been public debate about Colston’s legacy and Bristol’s involvement in the transatlantic traffic in enslaved Africans for decades.

The 2020 protest achieved what many anti Colston campaigns had not. The statue was removed and became worldwide news.

It became part of a fierce debate about racial and class inequality, the past, and who is remembered in public space.

The information on this page was taken from the Bristol Museums Exhibitions online.

Now take action below to make sure we continue to have the right to peacefully protest in the UK.

There's more information below on how to visit the statue and give your opinion on what should happen to it next.

A new Bill giving police sweeping powers - including additional powers to shut down peaceful protests - is going through Parliament.

We cannot allow this to happen. Take action now and call on our Prime Minister to stop the assault on our freedoms

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/uk-government-stop-assault-our-freedoms

Racism and discrimination

Research shows that 85% of Black people in the UK are not confident that they would be treated the same as a white person by the police. The ‘Police Crackdown Bill’ does not change this and will most likely make things worse.

This is compounded by other parts of the bill which would disproportionately impact minoritised people and increase the racism and discrimination that is experienced by many. These include, measures to enhance stop & search and restrict the right to roam, precisely at a time when the UK Government should be working to address inequality.