Good policing in Bristol

It probably was good policing, as the police were vastly outnumbered, so as it was, to avoid many injuries ( mainly to
Themselves) and to keep the crowds from reverting to mob mentality, it was deemed better to let them get on with it, and fish it out of the water later.

I agree lemongrove. Better a statue in the water than a human badly hurt. I wouldn't even bother to get it fished out to be honest.

Damned if they did; damned if they didn't.

The fault, if there is any, lies with the various Bristol City Councils (of all political persuasions) who for years have sidestepped the subject of the removal of the statue. Even now the current elected Mayor is blaming local media for failing to start a discussion about it.

If the police had attempted to stop the crowd, what was a peaceful demonstration could have turned into a riot with people injured and lots more property damage.

Good policing. No question about that.

The current Mayor is a thoroughly good thing imo. He is sensible, balanced and articulate. My reading and listening various interviews leads me to conclude this statue would have been removed had it not been for rigid individuals who would not accept Colston was anything other than the good wise man the statue says he was

Sorry Iam64 are we talking about the same Mayor? The one who squandered at least £38m on a failing energy company, closed all public toilets (before the pandemic), closed many libraries, had to return money to the government earmarked for children with special needs because he failed to spend it in the designated time frame, whose administration has been classed as having failed in the area of adult and vulnerable children care....I could go on.

From the interviews I've seen with him on the subject under discussion, yes a good thing.

If the mob was satisfied with trashing the statue so it was best to leave them alone. I would have thought the council would have moved it to a museum years ago it was controversial to say the least.

Don’t make me laugh. He was sat miles away at HQ in Portishead watching on his CCTV. I do tend to agree however that the statue should have been removed prior to the protests as it was going to be a sitting target for people who came with ropes and grappling hooks expressly for the purpose. So if you live in Bristol and Somerset and a criminal comes to break into your house do not expect any help from the police. Now I know why when I called them after being assaulted they waited 45 minutes before coming by which time the perpetrator had gone.

Much fear a rioter would get hurt, that would have made the day for the protesters

I am proud of Bristol and the way the police acted. For the record they have always responded to my calls without any problems.

Everyone has dithered about that statue and whether it should be removed for years, including Marvin Rees.
Decision made now.

I think I agree with the Manchester University historian who said that it should be retrieved and put into a museum with historical information about Colston, the slave trader who was also a philanthropist.
It is part of history and should be regarded in context.

Incidentally, the man who commissioned it in the first place in the 1890s failed to raise enough money and had to pay most of the cost himself.

I think it was still there because of inertia and a lack of decision making.

What happened to the statue was nothing different from the fate of many slaves who were tossed overboard while alive from the slaving ships.

Sensible policing.

The object at risk should have been removed long ago. Better a statue of a slave trader to be ditched, rather than members of the public and police being injured.

Yes, it was symbolic, * SueDonim*.

But educating people now and in the future is important.

It's disgraceful and insulting that the statue remained there so long. I like the idea of moving it to a museum so that it can be used as an exhibit, an example of our shameful history.

There are also plans to remove the Colston name from public buildings.

Another ditheroo.

I think the police chief made the right decision.

The statue should have been removed a long time ago and possibly put in a museum with a comprehensive and honest description of this man and what he was responsible for.

How would you feel if you lived in a country that publicly and prominently honoured with a statue and complimentary words a man who had been responsible for the enslavement, brutalisation and sometimes murder of your forefathers? Would you feel like you were a respected and fully integrated member of that society or might you be angry and hurt that some of your fellow citizens didn't care how it made you feel?

Well, one Bristolian was at the forefront of campaigning, was arrested and stood firm and paved the way for the Race Relations Act of the 1960s.
Courageously in a dignified manner.

In fact, progress has been made since then in this country but not enough.

Bristol City Council should shoulder some of the blame for this for their poor decision making and inaction over a long period. The statue should have gone to a museum with relevant information about slave trading etc.
That of course does not excuse the violence of some protesters, usual rent a mob I expect.

I noticed that Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, dodged round the question when he was asked why, if he felt so strongly about the statue of Colston, he didn't remove it to a museum when he took office 4 years ago, especially as he is mixed race himself.

I agree with oldwoman's post:
Sorry Iam64 are we talking about the same Mayor? The one who squandered at least £38m on a failing energy company, closed all public toilets (before the pandemic), closed many libraries, had to return money to the government earmarked for children with special needs because he failed to spend it in the designated time frame, whose administration has been classed as having failed in the area of adult and vulnerable children care....I could go on.

Perhaps only those of us who live in Bristol or close by know what has gone on over the past few years.

Annibach Are you saying that the protesters were hoping that someone would be injured? Why?

No Ilovecheese I am not saying protestors were hoping someone would be injured.

Sparklefizz, yes, Marvin's speech was a classic in reasonableness, wasn't it!

To be fair, the previous Mayor had to find ways of cutting £90m from the City's budget on orders from Central Government and this is a continuation of those measures. It didn't curb his travelling though.