In the city of Bristol, England, protesters on Sunday knocked down a statue of a 17th-century slave trader while showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The demonstrators tied the bronze statue of Edward Colston as high as 5.5 meters (18 feet), with a rope before dropping it, to the cheers of the surrounding crowd.
Activists were later seen rolling the statue to the nearest port and throwing it into the Avon River.
Colston, born in Bristol in 1636, was an active member of the governing body of the Royal African Company (RAC) for 11 years, assuming the deputy governor’s primary role from 1689-90.
The company, which monopolized the West African slave trade in the late 17th century, was involved in the sale of tens of thousands of West Africans in the Caribbean and America.
Colston, described by Bristol Museum website as a “respected philanthropist / reviled slave trader,” then donates part of his wealth to charitable causes, such as schools and hospitals, a process in which his name becomes synonymous with certain Bristol landmarks.
The Colston statue has stood in the center of Bristol since 1895 but has become increasingly controversial, with petitions made to demand its removal.
Elsewhere in the UK: Massive protests, with the number of people reaching thousands, also took place in other major British cities such as London and Edinburgh.
At least 12 people were arrested at protests in London, police said Sunday night.
