Bristol upends Black Lives Matter sculpture

A statue of an anti-racism protester in Britain which had replaced one of a slave trader was removed on Thursday.

‘I can’t see it coming down in a hurry’: Jen Reid poses before her likeness on Wednesday. She was wrong. Picture: Getty Images

A statue of an anti-­racism protester in Britain that had replaced one of a slave trader was removed on Thursday in an ongoing battle over the symbolic empty plinth.

Authorities in Bristol said they had taken down the sculpture — called A Surge of Power and showing Black Lives Matter demonstrator Jen Reid with her fist raised — almost 24 hours after it was placed on the plinth without permission.

“This morning we removed the sculpture,” Bristol city council said. “It will be held at our ­museum for the artist to collect or donate to our collection.”

The sculpture was secretly put in place on Wednesday, and was inspired by events in Bristol last month in which anti-racism protesters removed the statue of slave trader Edward Colston and dumped it in the local harbour.

Ms Reid had attended the unveiling and said: “I can’t see it coming down in a hurry.”

But local authority officials insisted it was for the whole city to decide what should replace the Colston statue, which had stood on the plinth since 1895.

“The sculpture that has been installed today was the work and decision of a London-based ­artist,” Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said on Wednesday.

“It was not requested and permission was not given for it to be installed.

“The future of the plinth and what is installed on it must be ­decided by the people of Bristol.”

AFP