Moment statue of slaver trader pulled down in Bristol by BLM protesters

This is the moment a statue of a slave trader was torn down by Black Lives Matters protesters.Footage shows the prominent 19th century statue of Edward Colston, who who acquired a significant part of his wealth through the trade and exploitation of 80,000 slaves, being pulled down with ropes before being met with screams and cheers from the crowd.After the statue fell to the ground, a protester posed with his knee on the statue's neck - reminiscent of the video showing George Floyd, an African-American who died while being restrained by a white US police officer.The statue, which was erected in the city of Bristol in 1895, was then dumped in the nearby River Avon. Over recent years the statue has been a point of contention, with an 11,00-strong petition calling for it to be removed. It follows yesterday's demonstrations in London which saw 29 people arrested following clashes between police and protesters, following Protester Solly Cox, 24, said: "It was just really powerful. "They dressed him in bondage gear and then tied the ropes around him. "When it was pulled down everyone just cheered. "After Colston was pulled down a guy got up and knelt on his neck. "It was just a really powerful moment. "After the statue was pulled down it kinda kicked off. "A bunch of football hooligans came up to the protesters and were trying to take away people's signs.

That's when I left."Thousands of protesters have gathered in UK cities across the weekend to support the Black Lives Matter movement, which has triggered momentum following the death of George Floyd.