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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/11/edward-colston-statue-retrieved-bristol-harbour-black-lives-matter
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| Edward Colston statue retrieved from Bristol harbour | Edward Colston statue retrieved from Bristol harbour |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| City council moves monument to secure location after it was toppled by Black Lives Matter protesters | City council moves monument to secure location after it was toppled by Black Lives Matter protesters |
| A statue of Edward Colston that was thrown into the harbour in Bristol by Black Lives Matter protesters has been retrieved and is being kept in a secure, undisclosed location. | A statue of Edward Colston that was thrown into the harbour in Bristol by Black Lives Matter protesters has been retrieved and is being kept in a secure, undisclosed location. |
| Bristol city council has said the slave trader’s statue will eventually be housed in a museum. | Bristol city council has said the slave trader’s statue will eventually be housed in a museum. |
| Meanwhile in Poole, Dorset, the statue of the man who founded the Scout movement, Robert Baden-Powell, was being removed from the quayside on police advice. | Meanwhile in Poole, Dorset, the statue of the man who founded the Scout movement, Robert Baden-Powell, was being removed from the quayside on police advice. |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council said it would keep the statue in safe storage while it decided what to do with it. Baden-Powell has been accused of racism, homophobia and support for Adolf Hitler. | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council said it would keep the statue in safe storage while it decided what to do with it. Baden-Powell has been accused of racism, homophobia and support for Adolf Hitler. |
| The council said: “We acknowledge the differing views of the life activities of Baden-Powell and want to create time for all views to be aired, and to minimise the risk of any public disorder or antisocial behaviour that could arise were the statue to remain in situ.” | The council said: “We acknowledge the differing views of the life activities of Baden-Powell and want to create time for all views to be aired, and to minimise the risk of any public disorder or antisocial behaviour that could arise were the statue to remain in situ.” |
| The leader of the council, Vikki Slade, said: “Whilst famed for the creation of the Scouts, we also recognise that there are some aspects of Robert Baden-Powell’s life that are considered less worthy of commemoration. | |
| “Therefore, we are removing the statue so that we can properly involve all relevant communities and groups in discussions about its future, including whether a more educational presentation of his life in a different setting might be more appropriate.” | “Therefore, we are removing the statue so that we can properly involve all relevant communities and groups in discussions about its future, including whether a more educational presentation of his life in a different setting might be more appropriate.” |
| The statue was installed in 2008 and faces Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, where the Scout movement began. Dorset County Scouts have been advised and support the move. | The statue was installed in 2008 and faces Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, where the Scout movement began. Dorset County Scouts have been advised and support the move. |
| Colston’s statue was pulled off the plinth and dumped into the harbour during an anti-racism rally on Sunday. | Colston’s statue was pulled off the plinth and dumped into the harbour during an anti-racism rally on Sunday. |
| The city’s mayor, Marvin Rees, has said he wanted to start a calm discussion about what to do with the statue, the plinth where it stood and the other memorials and places in Bristol with links to slavery. | The city’s mayor, Marvin Rees, has said he wanted to start a calm discussion about what to do with the statue, the plinth where it stood and the other memorials and places in Bristol with links to slavery. |
| He said: “I think we need to facilitate a citywide conversation about that. The conversation needs to be almost without emotion.” One issue around the statue is its ownership, with council lawyers still trying to work out whether it owns the statue. | He said: “I think we need to facilitate a citywide conversation about that. The conversation needs to be almost without emotion.” One issue around the statue is its ownership, with council lawyers still trying to work out whether it owns the statue. |
| It was pulled down on Sunday amid worldwide protests triggered by the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after a white police officer held him down by pressing his knee into his neck for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis on 25 May. | It was pulled down on Sunday amid worldwide protests triggered by the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after a white police officer held him down by pressing his knee into his neck for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis on 25 May. |
| The statue’s retrieval came after a senior Labour MP said its forced removal was the result of years of frustration with the democratic process. | The statue’s retrieval came after a senior Labour MP said its forced removal was the result of years of frustration with the democratic process. |
| Speaking on ITV’s Peston on Wednesday, the shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, said people decided to take action over the memorial because they felt their voices on racial issues were not being heard. | Speaking on ITV’s Peston on Wednesday, the shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, said people decided to take action over the memorial because they felt their voices on racial issues were not being heard. |
| She said: “Why was that statue removed in the way that it was removed? Because for 20 years, protesters and campaigners had used every democratic lever at their disposal, petitions, meetings, protests, trying to get elected politicians to act, and they couldn’t reach a consensus and they couldn’t get anything done. | She said: “Why was that statue removed in the way that it was removed? Because for 20 years, protesters and campaigners had used every democratic lever at their disposal, petitions, meetings, protests, trying to get elected politicians to act, and they couldn’t reach a consensus and they couldn’t get anything done. |
| “Now this is reflective of what has happened to people of colour in this country and across the world for a very long time. We’ve had seven reviews into racial discrimination in this country in the last three years alone, and very few of those recommendations have been acted on. | “Now this is reflective of what has happened to people of colour in this country and across the world for a very long time. We’ve had seven reviews into racial discrimination in this country in the last three years alone, and very few of those recommendations have been acted on. |
| “That is why people are so frustrated, and that’s the question we should be asking ourselves, is why is it so difficult for so many people to actually be heard and to pull the democratic levers to get the democratic change that they need?” | “That is why people are so frustrated, and that’s the question we should be asking ourselves, is why is it so difficult for so many people to actually be heard and to pull the democratic levers to get the democratic change that they need?” |