{"id":20243,"date":"2022-01-06T18:29:55","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T18:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=20243"},"modified":"2022-01-06T18:33:52","modified_gmt":"2022-01-06T18:33:52","slug":"not-guilty-bristol-jury-finds-that-defendants-were-justified-in-toppling-slave-trader-statue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2022\/01\/06\/not-guilty-bristol-jury-finds-that-defendants-were-justified-in-toppling-slave-trader-statue\/","title":{"rendered":"Not guilty – Bristol jury finds that defendants were justified in toppling slave trader statue"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a time when there is not much to be cheerful about, the Bristol jury’s decision to find the four accused of toppling the statue of Bristol slaver, Edward Colston, not guilty, has been widely celebrated. This article by Tom Anderson was first posted on The Canary blog.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NOT GUILTY: BRISTOL JURY FINDS THAT DEFENDANTS WERE JUSTIFIED IN TOPPLING SLAVE STATUE<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>A jury has cleared the four people who toppled a statue of slave trader Edward Colston. After three hours of deliberation, the jury came to the same conclusion that we knew all along \u2013 that the people who pulled down the statue were on the right side of history and were totally justified in their actions.<\/p>\n

The toppling of the statue happened during Bristol\u2019s huge Black Lives Matter demonstration on 7 June 2020.<\/p>\n

The trial of Sage Willoughby, Rhian Graham, Milo Ponsford, and Jake Skuse \u2013 dubbed the \u2018Colston Four\u2019 \u2013 had been ongoing since last December, and 5 January was the second day back in court after a break for Christmas and New Year.<\/p>\n

Closing speeches<\/strong><\/p>\n

On 4 January, the jury at Bristol Crown Court heard closing speeches from the defence and the prosecution.<\/p>\n

Blinne N\u00ed Ghr\u00e1laigh \u2013 the defence barrister for Rhian Graham \u2013 told the court that Colston was responsible for the enslavement of 84,000 Black people \u2013 including 12,000 children \u2013 and the deaths of 19,000 people. She said that a “line in the sand was drawn on 7 June 2020 by\u00a0those who joined\u00a0together\u00a0to pull the statue\u00a0down\u00a0and\u00a0to\u00a0dump it in the harbour. They\u00a0recognised the need\u00a0to make\u00a0clear\u00a0that\u00a0Colston\u2019s\u00a0victims,\u00a0those84,000\u00a0Black\u00a0lives\u00a0\u2013\u00a0more\u00a0than\u00a0three\u00a0times\u00a0the\u00a0total\u00a0number\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Black community\u00a0in\u00a0Bristol\u00a0today\u2013\u00a0that\u00a0they\u00a0mattered.\u00a0That\u00a0those\u00a0Black\u00a0lives\u00a0matter.\u00a0That\u00a0they\u00a0will\u00a0not\u00a0be\u00a0forgotten\u00a0or\u00a0airbrushed\u00a0outof\u00a0history.\u00a0That\u00a0their\u00a0descendants\u2019\u00a0pain\u00a0will\u00a0not\u00a0be\u00a0ignored.\u00a0That\u00a0their\u00a0slaver\u00a0\u2013\u00a0their\u00a0tormenter\u00a0\u2013\u00a0will not\u00a0continue\u00a0to\u00a0have\u00a0his\u00a0crimes\u00a0whitewashed,\u00a0as\u00a0he\u00a0towers\u00a0above\u00a0them\u00a0on\u00a0his\u00a0pedestal”.<\/em><\/p>\n

She said that those enslaved by Colston were:<\/p>\n

“torn\u00a0from\u00a0their\u00a0homes\u00a0and\u00a0families;\u00a0chained;\u00a0whipped;\u00a0branded\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0red\u00a0hot\u00a0iron\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0initials\u00a0ofhis\u00a0company;\u00a0and\u00a0shipped\u00a0across\u00a0the\u00a0sea\u00a0as\u00a0things \u2013\u00a0not\u00a0as\u00a0human\u00a0beings \u2013\u00a0on\u00a0a\u00a0journey\u00a0of\u00a0horror”<\/em><\/p>\n

She continued:<\/p>\n

“You\u00a0heard\u00a0about\u00a0the\u00a0slave\u00a0ships\u2026\u00a0You\u2019ve\u00a0heard\u00a0about\u00a0the\u00a0chilling\u00a0term\u00a0\u201cwastage\u201d.\u00a0You\u00a0heard\u00a0aboutthe\u00a0rapes\u00a0and\u00a0beatings.\u00a0You\u00a0heard\u2026\u00a0about\u00a0it\u00a0taking\u00a0seven\u00a0years\u00a0to\u00a0literally\u00a0work\u00a0an\u00a0enslavedperson\u00a0to\u00a0death”.<\/em><\/p>\n

Raj Chada \u2013 defence counsel for Jake Skuse \u2013 said to the jury:<\/p>\n

“The\u00a0statue\u00a0of\u00a0Edward Colston,\u00a0standing in the\u00a0centre of Bristol,\u00a0[was]\u00a0utterly\u00a0indecent,\u00a0offensive and\u00a0disgraceful.\u00a0We all know that”.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

An act of defiance against racism<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bristol demonstration was part of the global Black Lives Matter movement that came in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.<\/p>\n

N\u00ed Ghr\u00e1laigh told the jury:<\/p>\n

“On\u00a025\u00a0May\u00a02020\u00a0shortly\u00a0after\u00a08:20\u00a0pm,\u00a0African\u00a0American\u00a0George\u00a0Floyd\u00a0was\u00a0murdered\u00a0by\u00a0policeofficer\u00a0Derek\u00a0Chauvin,\u00a0who\u00a0knelt\u00a0on\u00a0his\u00a0neck\u00a0for\u00a08\u00a0minutes\u00a0and\u00a046\u00a0seconds\u00a0until\u00a0he\u00a0stoppedbreathing.\u00a0The\u00a0video\u00a0of\u00a0his\u00a0long\u00a0drawn\u00a0out\u00a0killing\u00a0went\u00a0viral\u00a0around\u00a0the\u00a0world.\u00a0People\u00a0heard\u00a0hisrepeated\u00a0pleas\u00a0of\u00a0\u201cI\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0breathe\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0his\u00a0desperate\u00a0cry\u00a0to\u00a0his\u00a0dead\u00a0mother.”<\/em><\/p>\n

People in Bristol were quick to join the movement. On 7 June, 10,000 people gathered on College Green for the biggest in a series of powerful Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Tiffany Lyare \u2013 one of the demonstrators \u2013\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0Vogue Magazine\u00a0<\/em>at the time:<\/p>\n

“I didn\u2019t want to protest just because of the loss of George Floyd\u2019s life, but because of the fact that I am also black and I have experienced discrimination and racism first hand.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Lyare added:<\/p>\n

“It almost felt like it was a personal attack to myself in a way.”<\/em><\/p>\n

We all toppled Colston<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the march passed the statue of Edward Colston, people paused and began to work together to remove the statue by putting a rope around its neck and pulling.<\/p>\n

The court was reminded that one of the police witnesses earlier in the case had estimated that thousands of people had been involved in taking the statue down. According to N\u00ed Ghr\u00e1laigh:<\/p>\n

“Police\u00a0Officer\u00a0Julie\u00a0Hayward\u00a0estimated\u00a0that\u00a0there\u00a0were\u00a0in\u00a0excess\u00a0of\u00a03,000\u00a0people\u00a0around\u00a0the\u00a0statue,just\u00a0under\u00a0a\u00a0third\u00a0of\u00a0her\u00a0estimated\u00a0total\u00a0of\u00a0at\u00a0least\u00a010,000\u00a0marchers.”<\/em><\/p>\n

These included:<\/p>\n

“Those\u00a0people\u00a0around\u00a0the\u00a0statue\u00a0who\u00a0joined\u00a0together\u00a0spontaneously\u00a0to\u00a0pull\u00a0as\u00a0one\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0rope\u00a0thatRhian\u00a0Graham\u00a0had\u00a0supplied\u00a0[and] those\u00a0people\u00a0who\u00a0applauded\u00a0them\u00a0as\u00a0they\u00a0did”.<\/em><\/p>\n

N\u00ed Ghr\u00e1laigh told the court that:<\/p>\n

“After\u00a0the\u00a0slave\u00a0trader\u00a0was\u00a0toppled,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0jubilations\u00a0were\u00a0over,\u00a0a\u00a0Black\u00a0man\u00a0knelt\u00a0on\u00a0EdwardColston\u2019s\u00a0neck\u00a0for\u00a08\u00a0minutes\u00a0and\u00a046\u00a0seconds,\u00a0the\u00a0length\u00a0of\u00a0George\u00a0Floyd\u2019s\u00a0slow\u00a0murder.\u00a0The\u00a0statue was\u00a0rolled\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0harbour\u00a0and\u00a0unceremoniously\u00a0dumped\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0water.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Chada told the jury that Jake Skuse was one of the people who helped drag the statue across the cobblestones to the harbour. According to Chada, the cobblestones were:<\/p>\n

“cobbles\u00a0which in his mind signified where people would\u00a0have been dragged unwillingly in centuries before, dragged\u00a0to the harbour in the symbolic act of being dumped there”.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018At least I won\u2019t have to see that fucking slave trader on my way to work anymore\u2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the toppling of Colston, hundreds of messages of support were left at the foot of the \u2013 now empty \u2013 plinth. Some of them\u00a0read<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“I want to send my\u00a0gratitude to the people who participated in the toppling of the\u00a0Colston statue. It was never an erasing of culture but creating a better informed history\u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Power to the people. Equality is Quality.”<\/em><\/p>\n

and:<\/p>\n

“At least I won\u2019t have to see that fucking slave trader on my way to work anymore.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Aftermath<\/strong><\/p>\n

The events of 7 June \u2013 and the momentum of the global Black Lives Matter movement \u2013 led to the\u00a0renaming<\/a>\u00a0of Bristol\u2019s Colston Hall and a decision to\u00a0rename<\/a>\u00a0two<\/a>\u00a0schools in Bristol named after the slave trader. The court also heard that a pub in Bristol changed its name; that\u00a0the stained glass windows and other dedications to\u00a0Colston had been\u00a0removed\u00a0from St Mary Redcliffe\u00a0Church and Bristol\u00a0Cathedral, and that Colston Tower has been renamed Beacon Tower. The Colston Society also voted to close itself down.<\/p>\n

The court heard that the toppling of the statue of Colston had been celebrated in Trinidad and had been mentioned during the funeral of George Floyd in the US. N\u00ed Ghr\u00e1laigh told the jury:<\/p>\n

“Gloria\u00a0Daniel,\u00a0the\u00a0great,\u00a0great\u00a0granddaughter\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0enslaved\u00a0child\u00a0John\u00a0Isaac,\u00a0emphasised\u00a0thesignificance\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0toppling.\u00a0She\u00a0said\u00a0that\u00a0it\u00a0served\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a0marker\u00a0that\u00a0\u201cwe\u00a0had\u00a0finally\u00a0arrived\u00a0at\u00a0aplace\u00a0in\u00a0history\u00a0where\u00a0people\u00a0would\u00a0no\u00a0longer\u00a0tolerate\u00a0the\u00a0continuing\u00a0dehumanisation\u00a0of\u00a0Blackpeople\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

Despite the\u00a0massive public support<\/a>\u00a0for the toppling of the statue, Avon & Somerset Police \u2013\u00a0egged on<\/a>\u00a0by Priti Patel \u2013 made a series of arrests and eventually\u00a0charged<\/a>\u00a0the four people defendants with criminal damage. The\u00a0Glad Colston\u2019s Gone campaign<\/a>\u00a0commented<\/a>\u00a0at the time:<\/p>\n

“Hundreds can clearly be seen on camera to have been involved in various activities that led to this object being pushed into the harbour. Despite this, authorities have decided to single out four people.”<\/em><\/p>\n

In\u00a0response<\/a>\u00a0to the statue toppling, the Tory government\u2019s controversial\u00a0Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill<\/a>\u00a0is proposing a new offence of damaging national monuments, which would make actions like the one against the Colston statue\u00a0punishable<\/a>\u00a0by up to ten years imprisonment.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you have a festering cancer like Colston, you cut it out\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tom Wainwright \u2013 the defence barrister for Milo Ponsford \u2013 likened the removal of the statue to removing a cancer:<\/p>\n

“If you have a cancer like Colston festering in your city, you cut it out. Even a new plaque would only have been a sticking plaster. Cutting it out will leave a scar, so that people remember what was there in the past and make sure it doesn\u2019t return, but only once it is gone can the body heal. You have heard during this trial of the positive impact this action had, in prompting action where there was lethargy, promoting understanding where there was ignorance, provoking discussion where there was silence. Not just in this city, not just in this country but around the world. Bristol, like its tower, is no longer weighed down by the name of Colston but is a beacon showing how to bring communities together.”<\/em><\/p>\n

5.1.22<\/strong><\/p>\n

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