RALLY RAGE
Black Lives Matter protesters topple Edward Colston statue, kneel on its neck & throw it in Bristol river
BLACK Lives Matter protesters have pulled down a statue of a 17th Century slave trader in Bristol.
The controversial Edward Colston monument was ripped from its plinth using rope as crowds cheered.
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The protesters could then be seen jumping up and down on the toppled statue as it came crashing to the ground.
It has now been rolled into the river after being dragged towards the water by a group of jubilant protesters.
Avon and Somerset Police superintendent Andy Bennett said tonight the force is hunting a small group of people “who clearly committed an act of criminal damage” after the statue was downed.
Activists have gathered in Bristol as part of a largely peaceful worldwide Black Lives Matter protest against the death of George Floyd in the US.
The bronze figure of slave trader Colston has been in the city centre since 1895.
But it has repeatedly come under attack by protesters - with pressure mounting on authorities to remove it.
Sadiq Khan accuses Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson of 'breathtaking' lack of empathy over Bristol statue
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A signature this week calling for the statue to be removed in the wake of Floyd's death received more than 11,000 signatures.
Slave ships owned by Colston in the 17th Century transported tens of thousands of people from Africa to the Americas.
Thousands have gathered in Bristol for the nationwide protest - with an eight minute silence held to mark how long the police officer knelt on Floyd's neck.
The rally in Bristol today comes as thousands of people descended on the US Embassy in London.
Activists in face masks are holding placards reading "I can't breathe" to echo the final words of Floyd after held him down by kneeling on his neck.
Others have taken a kneel in solidarity with those of who have accused police of brutality on a global scale.
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The protesters are marching after Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25 in a tragedy that shocked the world and highlighted issues of racism by police.
In London, the Winston Churchill statue was defaced for a second day in a row.
Churchill's name was crossed out and in black spray paint 'was a racist' was written underneath.
Yesterday, pictures showed police officers standing in front of the memorial with neon green graffiti defacing it on the 76th anniversary of D-Day.
It appears the world-famous memorial was defaced with letters ACAB - which is believed to stand for 'All Cops Are B******s'.
Other monuments were also damaged - including statues in Parliament Square daubed with the words "racist" and "f**k Boris".
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The death of dad Floyd, 46, has been classified as a homicide after an autopsy found his heart stopped as police restrained him and compressed his neck.
A separate autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family also found he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.
Chauvin, filmed in the now-viral video kneeling on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes before he lost consciousness, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The other three officers on scene have now been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
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All four have been sacked from their jobs in the police force.
Floyds death sparked fury across the world with protests in the US marred by the looting and destroying of shops as violence erupted.
However, peaceful demonstrations have now taken over.
Who was Edward Colston?
COLSTON was a merchant in the Royal African Company - the most prominent firm in the England in the West African slave trade.
During his time at the company, it is believed to have transported around 84,000 African men women and children as slaves.
Colston was a philanthropist in his native Bristol and a number of charitable foundations still bear his name in the city.
The bronze memorial to Colston had been in the city's centre since 1895.
This week, more than 11,000 people have called for the statue to be torn down.
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