Anti-racism protesters in England tore down a statue honoring British slave trader Edward Colston on Sunday.
Protesters then dumped the statue in the Bristol Harbor.
The protest in Bristol, as well as other demonstrations around the world, was sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota, who was killed at the hands of police last month.
A group of protesters surrounded the statue and removed a canvas sheet that had covered the monument for the gathering. Protesters then climbed up the statue, tied ropes around it, and pulled it down.
Local police said they are investigating the incident.
“There was a small group of people who clearly committed an act of criminal damage in pulling down a statue near Bristol Harbourside,” Avon and Somerset police said Sunday in a statement. “An investigation will be carried out to identify those involved and we are already collating footage of the incident.”
The statue had been in place since 1895 in recognition of Colston’s financial contributions to the city.
This happened a few moments ago.
The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down. pic.twitter.com/E0BUxVHonc— BBC Radio Bristol (@bbcrb) June 7, 2020
#Bristol statue of Edward Colston has been pulled down and pushed into the harbour during the #BlackLivesMattter march pic.twitter.com/ME1yxAhw7G
— BBC Radio Bristol (@bbcrb) June 7, 2020
