Colston statue to go back on display
A new exhibition will open at the M Shed in March 2024
Last updated 13th Nov 2023
The infamous statue of Bristol slave trader Edward Colston will go back on display in a museum next year.
City Mayor Marvin Rees has announced the news in his latest blog, saying it will feature in a new exhibition at the M Shed focusing on protest and racial injustice, from March 2024.
The statue of Colston, which had been a focus of controversy in the city for decades, was torn down by Black Lives Matter protestors in June 2020, during a demonstration following the death of George Floyd in the United States.
Footage of the statue being pulled from its plinth and then rolled into the harbour went viral around the world with many celebrating, but others furious about its removal.
Remind us what happened?
Back in June of that year much of the world was in lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, but protests began to spring up across many countries, after footage emerged online showing a US police officer killing black man George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes.
Police had been called in Minneapolis by a shop worker who suspected Floyd (46) had just bought cigarettes with a fake $20 note.
Throughout the ordeal, which happened in May, Floyd could be heard on camera saying "I can't breathe" and asking for help.
The incident became a symbol of systemic racism and the officer involved, Derek Chauvin, was later found guilty of murder.
Three of his colleagues who watched on or helped hold Floyd down, were also convicted of charges including aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Protests reach Bristol
On 7 June 2020 thousands of Black Lives Matter protestors marched through Bristol in spite of coronavirus lockdown rules.
During the demonstration ropes were tied around the Colston statue and it was pulled from its plinth in front of a cheering crowd, who then rolled it several hundred metres to the harbour, where it was thrown in the water.
Then led by Boris Johnson, the government described its toppling as a violent act with the protest "subverted by thuggery".
However, four people charged with criminal damage for their involvement were later acquitted by a jury at Bristol Crown Court, having argued the statue's existence was a hate crime and it should not have been there in the first place.
The We Are Bristol History Commission
The statue was quickly recovered from the bottom of the harbour by Bristol City Council.
Mayor Marvin Rees then set up the We Are Bristol History Commission to explore the dark side of the city's history and ask the public what they wanted to happen to the statue long term.
To coincide with a survey asking that question, the statue went on temporary display in the M Shed museum in 2021.
In 2022 the results were announced, with 80 per cent of 14,000 people saying they wanted to see it on display in a museum long term.
Today
In his latest blog, Mayor Rees says the statue will go back on display in the same museum, in March 2024.
Details of what the exhibition will entail are scarce, but it will focus on the themes of protest and racial injustice.
"The progress that has been made so far is a testament to the strength of feeling in Bristol and the dedicated work of all those who have been involved," Mayor Rees said.
"I thank them for all they have done before the History Commission formally comes to an end in November.
"The work they have started will be taken forward by the Bristol Legacy Foundation, which has more plans for acknowledging our city’s history in the trafficking of enslaved African people.
"If we want to be a city that is fully inclusive and fair to all, then race equality is a topic that needs to remain firmly on our agenda."