Thread by @AniST

The statue of slave trader Edward Colston demonstrates exactly why people are protesting across the world.
Since the day that statue was erected, there have been calls to remove it. They weren't 'different times', people knew then like they do now that it was wrong
1/ #blm

Over the decades, centuries, that the statue has stood people of Bristol have asked for it to be removed.
There have been debates,petitions, letters. again and again people have asked very nicely to remove it, using all their democratic powers to do so.
2/ #blm

Maybe take it down
Maybe put it in a museum
Maybe add a plaque
Nothing ever happened, it statue stood there unchanged
Memorial to a man who made money trading human lives
Asking nicely achieved nothing, so the people of Bristol used their power today & they tore it down
3/ #blm

People ask what protests & rioting have ever achieved, and the answer is every right you have

4/
#blm

The working class man got voted &rights by protesting & rioting
Women got votes & rights by protesting & rioting
LGBTQ+ community got their rights by protesting & rioting
Apartheid was broken by protesting & rioting.
American Civil Rights were won by protesting & rioting
5/
#blm

Power isn't given away when the people ask nicely.
We have the opportunity to reshape the world for good right now, but we have to use our united power to do so.

6/6
#blm
#colston
#bristol