Protesters who tore down slaver’s statue not guilty
FOUR people charged with toppling a statue of slave trader Edward Colston celebrated last night after being cleared of criminal damage.
The bronze memorial to the 17th century merchant was pulled down at a Black Lives Matter protest in June 2020 then rolled into Bristol harbour.
Although a huge crowd of people were involved, just four faced trial.
Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, and Sage Willoughby, 22, were caught on CCTV passing the ropes around the statue that were used to pull it down.
Jake Skuse, 33, was accused of orchestrating a plan to throw it in the harbour.
Yesterday they were cleared by a jury at Bristol crown court after almost three hours of deliberations. Speaking in front of joyous supporters outside court, alongside protestors carrying banners reading “We toppled Colston” and “Glad Colston’s Gone”, Mr Willoughby said:
“They were whitewashing history by calling (Colston) a f***ing virtuous man.
“We didn’t change history, we rectified it. This is a victory for Bristol, for racial equality and for anybody who wants to be on the right side of history.”
After the statue was felled, various monuments to Colston were renamed, including a school, tower block, pub and concert hall. Outside court, “overwhelmed” Ms Graham thanked supporters and said: “We all have the ability to say how our space is decorated,who we venerate and who we celebrate – and one thing we know now is Colston does not represent Bristol.” There were loud cheers from the packed public gallery as the not guilty verdicts were returned. All four defendants admitted involvement but denied their actions were criminal, claiming the statue was a hate crime. Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, for Ms Graham, said: “This case demonstrates the fundamental importance of trial by jury. Juries represent the collective sense of justice of the community.”
Mr Skuse’s lawyer, Raj Chada, said: “It is shameful Bristol City Council did not take down the statue that caused such offence and equally shameful they supported prosecution of the defendants.”
Artist Banksy designed a T-shirt to raise funds for the defendants’ cause.
An estimated £3,750 worth of damage was done to the statue and prosecutors argued that who Colston had been was “irrelevant”. But defence barristers argued Colston and his legacy were vital.
Former Bristol lord mayor Cleo Lake supported the accused.
The court heard Colston was involved in the enslavement of over 80,000 adults and children, with 19,000 dying on ships bound for the Caribbean and Americas.