Banksy shares Bristol statue idea to make “everyone happy”

Banksy has proposed a new idea for the statue of Edward Colston that stood in Bristol from 1895 until last weekend, June 7, when it was toppled by anti-racism protestors and dumped in the River Avon.

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Edward Colston was a slave trader, merchant and former MP for Bristol who lived from 1636 to 1721. In his life he donated some of his personal wealth to build public buildings such as schools, hospitals and churches in Bristol and other areas of the UK.

A number of landmarks in Bristol are named after Colston, such as Colston Hall, Colston Street and Colston Tower. However his reputation has increasingly fallen in favour since the 1990s with his role in the slave trade receiving criticism.

A petition demanding its removal has received more than 10,000 signatures, before protestors took matters into their own hands on Sunday, pleasing some and angering others.

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Bristolian artist Banksy has shared his idea for a new monument to keep “everyone happy”.

He said: “Here’s an idea that caters for both those who miss the Colston statue and those who don’t.

“We drag him out the water, put him back on the plinth, tie cable round his neck and commission some life size bronze statues of protestors in the act of pulling him down. Everyone happy. A famous day commemorated.”