Bristol awaits historic verdict in trial of Colston Four
Four people are accused of criminal damage over the toppling of the Edward Colston statue
A verdict is expected shortly in the trial of four people accused of tearing down a statue of a slave trader in Bristol.
A memorial to Edward Colston had sat on a plinth on Colston Avenue in the city since 1895 but has been the centre of controversy for decades, because of his active involvement in the slave trade.
Several attempts to have it removed by democratic means have failed over the years, so it was forcibly toppled by Black Lives Matter protestors in June 2020 following the murder of black man George Floyd in the United States by a white police officer.
Rhian Graham, 29, Jake Skuse, 33, and Sage Willoughby, 21 who are all from Bristol, plus Milo Ponsford, 25, who is from Hampshire, have all denied charges of criminal damage and a trial has been ongoing at Bristol Crown Court since December 13.
Some say the verdict when it is reached, could mark a key moment not just in Bristol's but in global history because of the message it would send as to whether such acts are acceptable in some circumstances.
None of the four accused deny being at the protest on June 7, 2020 during which the statue was toppled, neither do they deny being involved in the toppling itself.
Instead, their defence has centred on the argument, believed by many, but strongly opposed by others, that their actions were morally correct and therefore should not be punished.
Speaking in the defence of Sage Willoughby, barrister Liam Walker argued that removing the statue was not a crime, but an act of love.
During his summing up speech Mr Walker pointed out that petitions had attempted to have the statue removed for 30 years and so the actions taken on June 7 were merely pursuing what Bristol as a city had wanted for decades.
Walker argued the statue had to be removed because it had become inappropriate and offensive, while fellow barrister Tom Wainwright, speaking in defence of Milo Ponsford, described Colston as like a "cancer" which needed to be removed from the city.
"Correcting the record is not vandalism, it is progress," he said.
In stark contrast, summing up for the prosecution William Hughes QC argued that the trial is not about emotions or politics, but about "cold, hard facts".
"We do not dispute that Edward Colston's history is awash with his hands-on involvement with the slave trade," he said.
"We are not apologists for Edward Colston and his ilk and nor will we be, but they are not on trial."
"However strongly you may feel about something, however much you hate it, you cannot just tear it down," he concluded.
Supporters of the "Colston Four" have been vocal in their opposition to the trial and their numbers include famous Bristol street artist Banksy.
In the days before the trial began limited edition Colston statue trial t-shirts, created by Banksy, went on sale across Bristol to raise money for them.
In a statement posted on Instagram the artist said all money raised would go to the defendants, "so they can go for a pint".
Residents queued for the t-shirts in huge numbers with some quickly appearing on online resale websites for as much as ÂŁ9,000.
Then, on December 13 when the trial began around 200 protestors gathered outside the court in support of the defendants.
They carried signs including "we toppled Colston" and "we are all topplers".
Since the statue was torn down several Bristol institutions have rebranded to distance themselves from Colston, including the formally known Colston Hall music venue, which is now called the Bristol Beacon, the Beacon Tower, which was once known as the Colston Tower and Colston's Girls School, which is now called Montpelier High School.
Meanwhile a report will soon go before Bristol City Council recommending what should happen to the statue long term, after a survey asked residents whether it should remain on permanent display in a museum, where it has been since June 2021.
The plinth where the statue once stood, currently remains empty.
A verdict could well be reached on Wednesday (January 5).