Slave trader’s fall marked by ‘guerilla’ plaque at Pero’s Bridge
A ‘GUERILLA’ plaque has appeared marking the spot at Bristol’s Harbourside where the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was dumped in the docks.
The plaque appeared overnight to mark the first anniversary of the toppling of the statue on June 7, 2020, and a group calling themselves The Guerrilla Historians have claimed responsibility.
The plaque shows an image of the statue falling from the harbour wall, and was designed by Bristol-based artist John Packer.
Engraved on its surface are the words: “At this spot, during worldwide anti-racism protests, a statue celebrating the 17th century slave-trader Edward Colston was thrown into the harbour by the people of Bristol. Various campaigns to have the statue removed through official channels had been frustrated.”
It also features an extract from the poem Hollow, written by Bristol’s City Poet at the time Vanessa Kisuule, about the statue and what happened to it, along with an image of the statue being pulled from the plinth at The Centre.
“The toppling of Colston’s statue was a pivotal moment in a global popular uprising, and the enormous symbolic and historical significance of this event reverberated around the world,” said a spokesperson for
The Guerrilla Historians.
“We all want a fuller, richer understanding of British history – more history, not less – and we hope this plaque can make a small contribution to that shared goal.”
The first anniversary of the toppling of the statue has been marked by the first public exhibition of the statue since that day – it has been put in a temporary exhibition at the M Shed, along with information about Edward Colston and the protests against him, and a survey set by the council to ask what should happen next.