Protesting … or vandalism?

Not doing themselves any favours are they.

How much of this sort of thing is happening because the mob were allowed to throw the Colston statue into the water in Bristol? A fair bit, I reckon.

Vandals who are also as thick as the proverbial pigsgit.

Pure unadulterated Vandalism - didn’t much like that Portrait of King Charles - it was too red. But what point are these vandals making. Yes, it’s all getting rather ridiculous 😡

Vandals, doing nothing to advance their cause and attracting nothing but contempt. Sadly the law is far too soft if they are ever prosecuted, they don’t fear arrest.

I fully give these self rightious vandals the contempt they fully deserve. I'd like to know if security is in place, why arent they stopping this happening. Otherwise why have them there.

Urmstongran

How much of this sort of thing is happening because the mob were allowed to throw the Colston statue into the water in Bristol? A fair bit, I reckon.

Not much- this kind of thing happened well before.

The problem with these vandals is it does nothing to promote their cause as it is only their acts that are reported in depth on and not the cause they are protesting about.

Good point Theexwife.

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Presumably you don't throw paint, smash windows, damage property, including attempting to damage priceless artefacts, paddyann?

It's vandalism, pure and simple.

Yes, there’s a big difference!

Vandalism.

I’m not convinced there’s more vandalism now than when we were younger. Graffiti was everywhere in the 1980s, it was common to see smashed shop windows, people drove cars into windows, fires were lit deliberately, people threw things at politicians, there were riots - and so on.

Urmstongran

How much of this sort of thing is happening because the mob were allowed to throw the Colston statue into the water in Bristol? A fair bit, I reckon.

I'm answering this post as a born and bred Bristolian. I can assure you that the protesters were not a mob and that the slave trader statue had been causing division, hurt and shame since at least the 1920's for people of all backgrounds and heritage in our city.

The utter ineptitude of successive local councils, coupled with the unwieldy (and many would say immoral) influence of a very powerful and wealthy organisation of former slave traders known as the Merchant Venturers, ensured the statue remained an emblem of the city.

This despite innumerable attempts to reach peaceful resolutions from ordinary citizens right through to esteemed academics and historians. Countless voices of reason were summarily dismissed over decades of discussions and proposals.

What the world witnessed was the culmination of a highly complex and sensitive issue that I don't believe anyone can truly comprehend or comment on unless they live in our city and know the full history.

‘Division, hurt and shame’
Since the 1920’s?
Blimey. Every day’s a school day flappergirl!

Wonder what the catalyst was for vandalism on that particular day?

flappergirl

Urmstongran

How much of this sort of thing is happening because the mob were allowed to throw the Colston statue into the water in Bristol? A fair bit, I reckon.

I'm answering this post as a born and bred Bristolian. I can assure you that the protesters were not a mob and that the slave trader statue had been causing division, hurt and shame since at least the 1920's for people of all backgrounds and heritage in our city.

The utter ineptitude of successive local councils, coupled with the unwieldy (and many would say immoral) influence of a very powerful and wealthy organisation of former slave traders known as the Merchant Venturers, ensured the statue remained an emblem of the city.

This despite innumerable attempts to reach peaceful resolutions from ordinary citizens right through to esteemed academics and historians. Countless voices of reason were summarily dismissed over decades of discussions and proposals.

What the world witnessed was the culmination of a highly complex and sensitive issue that I don't believe anyone can truly comprehend or comment on unless they live in our city and know the full history.

My neighbour was born and bred in Bristol and her memories are completely the opposite to yours. We talked about it when the statue was destroyed and she was very upset about it as were many of her old schoolfriends who still live in that area. She was disgusted.

So slavery and slave masters didnt disgust your friend Primrose ? Shame.

Time to gen up I think. Vandalism has been happening ever since there were works of art to destroy. It’s just what protesters do. For example, Diego Velázquez’s 1651 masterpiece, The Toilet of Venus (aka the Rokeby Venus),was badly damaged in 1914 when women’s suffragist Mary Richardson walked into the National Gallery and took a meat cleaver to the Goddess of Love’s behind in protest at the arrest of a fellow suffragette. War memorials paintings, statues, you name has all been vandalised in the bane of a cause. So no, the Colton statue wasn’t a catalyst, it was one of a very long series of acts of protest.

It's vandalism. End of.

Syracute

So slavery and slave masters didnt disgust your friend Primrose ? Shame.

She said they never knew anything about that when she went to school and even if she had it was in quite different times. All she knew was he was a great benefactor. I believe her school was even named after him. I will check with her.

Primrose, why were your friends very upset? Edward Colston was responsible for the death of at least 20,000 men, women and children.

His motivation was pure greed at a time when society was increasingly questioning the morality of buying and selling human beings. Ignorance and the old trope of "it was a different time" holds no water. Neither does the passing of the centuries dilute the mass murder of children. To maintain a statue of its perpetrator is, I would hope, completely unacceptable to any decent person.

Perhaps then you would like to explain in greater detail the basis of your friends' upset and why they wish to laud and celebrate a wealthy slave trader?

Urmstongran, you obviously haven't read my post in full. I have explained some of the background, frustrations and peaceful resolutions submitted over many decades.

You seem to question my words of "hurt and shame" but unless you live in my city or have an in depth knowledge of the subject, your sarcasm is misplaced. You would be far better expending your energies on reading up on the statue and its history before you comment.

Vandalism. And pathetic.

Nothing new in what you describe Urms. Comes and goes at different times for different reasons.