Frederick Douglass: Historic US black activist's statue toppled

Frederick Douglass, a former slave, was an American social reformer and abolitionist

A statue of the 19th Century US black activist Frederick Douglass has been toppled in New York state.

It appears to have been vandalised on 5 July - the anniversary of a famous speech the former slave gave in 1852.

In it he said Independence Day celebrations were a sham in a nation that still enslaved its black citizens.

His statue, in the city of Rochester, could have been targeted in retaliation for attacks on monuments linked to slavery, activists said.

The leader of the group that erected the statue, Carvi Eison, said a new statue of Douglass would take its place.

No-one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on the statue.

In recent weeks, statues of Confederate leaders and the explorer Christopher Columbus have been torn down in the US, as pressure grows on authorities to remove monuments connected to slavery and colonialism.

The movement has been sparked by the death in police custody of African American George Floyd.

His death in Minneapolis in May has led to protests in the US and internationally against police brutality and racial inequality.

• Scouts founder statue to be removed

• Trump to restart rallies on key slavery date

• The stories behind the statues targeted in protests

US President Donald Trump last week ordered the creation of a "National Garden of American Heroes" to defend what he called "our great national story" against those who vandalised statues.

His executive order gave a new task force 60 days to present plans, including a location, for the garden.

Mr Trump insisted the new statues must be lifelike, "not abstract or modernist".