Bristol, June 7: The statue of Edward Colston, a 17th century slave trader, was pulled down and thrown into the harbour by an enraged group of Black Lives Matter protesters in United Kingdom's Bristol. In the video which was captured from the spot, the protesters comprising of whites, blacks and people of colour, pulled down the statue using a rope and stepped on it to mark their angst. Black Lives Matter Protests: Aerial Footage Shows Crowds Swelling Dramatically in Philadelphia, Protesting Against George Floyd’s Killing.

The demonstrators kicked and rolled the statue down the street right upto the harbour, before throwing into the river Avon. While the statue was being desecrated, a crowd comprising of locals and students cheered the protesters.

Watch Video of Edward Colston's Statue Being Pulled Down

See Protesters Throwing Statue Into River Avon

While the Black Lives Matter protests - sparked by the killing of African American George Floyd in the US - served as the immediate trigger for pulling down Colson's statue, the demand for same was in the offing since over a decade. Among those who had signed the petition to remove the statue includes Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire.

In 2018, she along with nearly 11,000 people had signed a petition which sought the removal of the 18-feet bronze statue honouring Colston. The statue was put up in 1895 to commemorate the contributions made by him towards developing hospitals, churches and schools in Bristol.

Debbonaire, while speaking to reporters two years ago on the issue, said the modern-day society cannot honour a person who promoted racism. Instead, the icons in history who strove for social and political equality must be revered, she added.

Colston, who lives from 1636 to 1721, is recorded in the books of history to have undertaken massive slave trade in the late 17th century. He transported as many as 100,000 slaves from West Africa to Caribbean Islands, who were subsequently sent to America. The slaves were often branded on chest with the name of his trading company, and overloaded onto ships in unhygienic conditions, allege his critics citing historic texts. Nearly 20,000 slaves had died during such transportations and were thrown off the ship.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2020 10:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).