I love the statue that has replaced the slave trader

Ultrostrom. Avon and Somerset Police are very selective.

Imho the statue acknowledges the truth of my feelings about the sufferings of the people enslaved for generations.
I express myself clumsily but the young woman surely had right on her side on the day her photograph was taken on the plinth

Furrett. We certainly will.

Nightsky Avon and Somerset police were criticised because they stood by and let the statue come down. Selective?

It should be removed until permission is given , heaven knows
what other statues could appear.

I am sure the police saw it being erected but wisely stayed silent , doubt they want more accusations of being racist

It's beautiful, hope it stays

Granny bags. Exactly.

Sorry Nightsky I misread you!

It's symbolic
I love it
I don't think it's going to be permanent, which is a shame

The fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square was first occupied illegally by the figure of David Beckham from Madam Tussauds.
At first the authorities were cross but then realised that people liked it and now the plinth is a feature with interesting things on it.
Art is not something that people should allow to get stuffy. It should be something that people interact with.
There is no reason this can't stay up until the Council decides what to replace it with. Of course a lot of people won't like it. A lot don't like Banksy but there are many that do like street art and that is what this is. Reactive art which is usually temporary as this will be, but it will hopefully be moved somewhere else it can be seen. Maybe wherever Colston ends up. Plenty of people didn't like his statue either right from the beginning.
It is a shame that so many can't just lighten up and go with it.

Beauty is obviously in the eye of the beholder. What’s there not to like - the statue depicts a strong women who just happens to be black?

Or is it simply the fact that some prefer what stood there before?

Children are our future.
How about honouring those children who've raised thousands of pounds ? That little boy who was abused so badly that his legs had to be amputated.

I want to see commemorative statues/plaques of those who've raised thousands with their acts of kindness, not someone who represents aggression with a fist in the air.

There’s lots of scope. All welcome regardless of creed, colour, age, sex or sexual orientation and social status.

Once all the nasty statues are melted down then a whole new generation of new ones can be re-cast. Isn’t there one of Margaret Thatcher somewhere that has outlived it’s welcome?,

I agree EllanV.

Captain Tom Moore would get my vote.

It is a beautiful statue and very like the lady herself (sorry, I can't remember her name). I am just uneasy about the raised fist. That is a very provocative gesture and not inclined to bring peace and harmony.

Yes, Captain Tom or/and the old man who tends a site where young American airmen lost their lives when their plane came down to avoid hitting little children playing nearby.
Tony Foulds is the man's name. What loyalty this man has shown to those who saved his life while he played, and 10 men lost their lives in the process.

Well, it's gone now.

White wave, I am very far from far right I can assure you, but I don't agree with mob mentality, what happened in Bristol was disgraceful..I don't like this new statue I could think of better to be honest. It is up to the people of Bristol to decide not some mob. It has just caused a lot of work and expense in the biggest economic crisis this country has known due to the pandemic as well as endangering our police. So no the statue should not stand, charges for criminal damages should be made over the wanton destruction. Violence is never an answer, as it just breeds more.

The woman whose image it is won’t be remotely surprised at its removal, nor will all the other BAME folk in the U.K.

Putting up a statue without official permission is itself a form of vandalism. This organisation has got away with far too much already. Unless we start enforcing the law, we're heading for complete anarchy.

Let the people of Bristol decide.
You can’t illegally erect a statue of a complete nobody and expect everyone to just say ...‘oh, okay then’

She was a symbol. Everywoman, or at least everywoman who stood up for equal rights. As opposed to a man who sold humans as chattels.

Well said Sparkling. Plenty of good people who deserve a statue not somebody who took part in a destructive mob..

If I was Mayor I would have allowed it to remain as an act of reconciliation until a decision/vote on what the folk of Bristol would like to replace the slave trader.

It would have been a good decision recognised for what it was.

If you think anarchy is putting a bit of resin on a plinth, I expect equal rights are anathema to you too.