Controversial statue of Edward Colston replaced by Black Lives Matter protestor
- Published
- comments
A controversial statue has been replaced by a sculpture of a Black Lives Matter protestor.
The original statue was of a man called Edward Colston, and in June, anti-racism protestors threw his statue into Bristol harbour.
Some groups have been calling for the statue to be removed for many years. They said it's not right that Colston, who was a slave trader, should be celebrated in this way.
Now the figure of Jen Reid stands in its place - she was photographed standing on the plinth with her fist raised as Colston's statue was being dismantled.
An artist created the statue, and Jen Reid said they'd been secretly working on the idea together for weeks.
When it was put in place, Reid stood in front of the statue and said: "It's just incredible".
Reid said her "stomach has been flipping upside down." She added: "Being up there, with my fist raised - it was an amazing moment, and this captures it. It gives me goose pimples."
There are more than 800 public statues of people in the UK. They range from mythical Greek and Roman figures, to soldiers, British Royalty, and important people from history.
Statues can be seen as a way to celebrate, remember and tell the stories of culturally or historically significant people.
But it has been pointed out that a lot of the statues in the UK don't reflect the country's diverse population and are traditionally focused on white men.
The decision about erecting a statue is usually made by local authorities and there isn't a set process for how the decision is made and who's opinions have to be asked.
- Published28 September 2023
- Published10 June 2020