The protests started at 1pm on College Green, in front of Bristol's town hall:
We were among them from 1pm.
The demonstrations was organised as a response to the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, US of A. on 25 May.
No more #KarmaComa: #BlackLivesMatter #protesters finally #healing these very old #wounds of #colonialism and #slavery #lestweforget #UK#Britain #Bristol
The marchers then walked towards the statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston, celebrated for decades for his "philanthropy" (paying for schools, libraries, etc. For 'white' people only, of course).
And finally protesters threw the statue into the city's river, after pulling it down earlier around 2:30pm.
The bronze memorial statue had stood in the centre of Bristol since 1895 but had sparked controversy for years. And in recent days, more than 10,000 people signed a petition calling on Bristol City Council to have it removed.
Before it was pulled down, protestor John McAllister, 71, declared:
"It says 'erected by the citizens of Bristol, as a memorial to one of the most virtuous and wise sons of this city'. The man was a slave trader. He was generous to Bristol but it was off the back of slavery and it's absolutely despicable. It's an insult to the people of Bristol."
NB. Edward Colston was involved in slave trading through the Royal African Company, which then had a monopoly over slave trading, and was later elected as the Tory MP for Bristol. He still has a large representation in the city where he was born, through many schools, buildings, streets and charities named after him.
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About my book on Bristol's music, art, activism:
This book is dedicated to the history of the band Massive Attack and to their relationship with their home town of Bristol, a city built on the wealth generated by the slave trade.
As a port Bristol was also an arrival point for immigrants to the UK, most notably the Windrush generation from the Caribbean in the 1950s. Author Melissa Chemam's in-depth study of the influences that led to the formation of the Wild Bunch and then Massive Attack looks into Bristol's past to explore how the city helped shape one of the most successful and innovative musical movements of the last 30 years.
Based on interviews with Robert Del Naja (aka 3D), Tricky, street artists, musicians, historians and many others, the book examines the inner tensions between the founding members of Massive Attack - 3D, Daddy G and Mushroom - but mainly their influences, collaborations and politics, the way in which they opened the door for other Bristol musicians and artists including Banksy, and how they changed the city for good.
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