Black Lives Matter protesters deface Winston Churchill statue

Black Lives Matter protesters have vandalised a statue of Winston Churchill and another of Edward Colston | WATCH

Protesters gather around Winston Churchill statue in parliament Square during the Black Lives Matter protest rally in London. Picture: AP

Black Lives Matter protesters have defaced a central London statue of Winston Churchill, branding him “racist’’, while in Bristol a stature of a 17th century slave trader Edward Colston was dumped in the harbour.

Large demonstrations sprung up across Britain on Sunday following the death of 48-year-old George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The defacing of the Churchill statue in parliament Square came when police were seen close to the statue monitoring the situation and Black Lives Matter protesters began chanting “Churchill was a racist’’.

People have a right to protest peacefully & while observing social distancing but they have no right to attack the police. These demonstrations have been subverted by thuggery - and they are a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve. Those responsible will be held to account.

— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 7, 2020

So upstanding members of the public defend Churchill's statue, but are moved on by the police under chants of 'Racist scum!'

Then the statue is defaced.

Make sense yet?pic.twitter.com/n7ye2hUOmp

— Darren of Plymouth 🇬🇧 (@DarrenPlymouth) June 7, 2020

In 2020 to question & seek removal of public statues is ok. But a small group deciding they can destroy & deface them is not. Churchill worked with Clement Attlee to stop Hitler's Nazis. Defacing this statue is an insult and does nothing to tackle racism today. pic.twitter.com/W8XQoW80HO

— Caroline Flint (@CarolineFlint) June 7, 2020

Wait until they find out about the other guy pic.twitter.com/0GHdAfNq7r

— Neil O'Brien MP (@NeilDotObrien) June 7, 2020

Mid-afternoon on Sunday demonstrators then sprayed across Churchill’s name and replaced it with “was a racist’’.

However, some other protesters tried to stop further damage to the statue.

The protester actions have sparked anger about vandalism of a political war hero and how the police allowed the statue to be defaced for the second day in succession. The Churchill statue was also painted on Saturday with green graffiti, ironically on the 76th anniversary of D-Day.

Tory MP Neil O’Brien tweeted in response to the latest Churchill vandalism: “Wait until they find out about the other guy’’.

Labour MP Caroline Flint tweeted: “In 2020 to question & seek removal of public statues is OK. But a small group deciding they can destroy & deface them is not. Churchill worked with Clement Attlee to stop Hitler’s Nazis. Defacing this statue is an insult and does nothing to tackle racism today.’’

A placard is put on the Winston Churchill statue during the Black Lives Matter protest in London. Picture:

In Bristol, police are investigating the destruction of the 1895 Colston statue pulled down by protesters using ropes to loud cheers and fist pumping of the crowd, and the statue was then dragged to nearby Bristol harbour and thrown in the water.

More than 11,000 people had signed a recent petition calling for the statue to be removed from the city because Colston, who helped developed Bristol in the 17th century, used the slave trade for huge personal profit. Historians say he shipped 84,000 Africans to the Americas.

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid said: “I grew up in Bristol. I detest how Edward Colston profited from the slave trade. But, THIS IS NOT OK. If Bristolians wants to remove a monument it should be done democratically – not by criminal damage.’’

Protesters throw a statue of slave trader Edward Colston into Bristol harbour. Picture: AP

Home Secretary Priti Patel told Sky News: “I think that is utterly disgraceful. That speaks to the acts of public disorder that actually have become a distraction from the cause that people are actually protesting.

“Sheer vandalism and disorder is completely unacceptable and it’s right the police follow up on that and make sure justice is undertaken.”

The Met Police said that they made 29 arrests on Saturday and 14 police officers were injured, two seriously. One was a female officer from the Met’s Mounted Branch who fell from her horse, which was spooked during the protests.

Protesters threw bikes and bottles at the police horses and the police officer has undergone surgery for her injuries.