News / Bristol
New plaque on Colston statue brands Bristol slavery capital
An official-looking plaque has been placed on Bristol’s statue of Edward Colston by someone seeking to set history straight.
Sitting just below the original inscription celebrating the ‘virtues’ of the notorious slave trader, a new gold-embossed sign has been added to commemorate the millions of people who were enslaved and lost their lives.
It reads:
is needed now More than ever
Unauthorised heritage
Bristol
Capital of the Atlantic Slave Trade
1730-1745
This commemorates the 12,000,000 enslaved of whom 6,000,000 died as captives.
The face on the statue of Edward Colston remains white following an earlier prank
It is unknown who placed the plaque on the statue that is currently out of public reach on the centre, surrounded by roadworks and barriers, but there are plenty who condemn the wide celebration of the slave trader’s name across the city.
The face of the solid black figure, situated just a stone’s throw from the soon-to-be renamed Colston Hall, was painted white in a previous prank.
The statue is officially out of bounds to the public at the moment
Read more: Colston Hall to reopen with new name in 2020
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