The toppling of his statue yesterday in Bristol, a city in the southwest of England by anti-racism protesters was greeted with joyous scenes, recognition of the fact that he was a notorious slave trader — a badge of shame in what is one of Britain's most liberal cities.
The symbolism of the statue's demise can't be overstated not least because the bridge overlooking its new resting place is named Pero's Bridge, after Pero Jones — an enslaved man who lived and died in the city in the latter part of the 18th century.
Colston, who was born in 1636 to a wealthy merchant family, became prominently involved in England's sole official slaving company at the time, the Royal African Company, and Bristol was at the heart of it.
Bristol, as an international port, was at the centre of the slave trade and benefited hugely financially — not just shipbuilders and slavers, but also investors like Colston, who would buy a stake in the triangular slave voyage between England, West Africa and the Caribbean.
In the Belgian capital of Brussels, where thousands joined a Black Lives Matter rally yesterdat, protesters clambered onto the statue of former King Leopold II and chanted “reparations,” according to video posted on social media.
