Banksy makes suggestion of what should replace toppled Bristol statue
Banksy has made a comical suggestion of what should replace the toppled statue of Edward Colston in his home city of Bristol, with a new sketch.
The graffiti artist has publicly expressed his support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has escalated over the past two weeks following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
With his latest drawing, posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, Banksy shared his thoughts on what should happen to the plinth which now stands empty after protesters pulled down a bronze statue of slave trader Edward Colston on Sunday.
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The black and white image shows a statue that is close to toppling backwards as four people pull it down with ropes.
The caption on the Instagram post read: “What should we do with the empty plinth in the middle of Bristol?
“Here’s an idea that caters for both those who miss the Colston statue and those who don’t.
“We drag him out the water, put him back on the plinth, tie cable round his neck and commission some life size bronze statues of protestors in the act of pulling him down.
“Everyone happy. A famous day commemorated.”
The statue was toppled during an anti-racism demonstration in Bristol and eventually rolled into the city’s harbour.
The identity of Banksy has long been a closely-guarded secret, but that has not stopped him from becoming one of the most prolific street artists of the 21st century, gaining attention for his politically charged works.
He showed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement in his previous Instagram post on Saturday, of a painting of a vigil candle burning an American flag.
In the post, he wrote: “At first I thought I should just shut up and listen to black people about this issue.
“But why would I do that? It’s not their problem, it’s mine.”
He continued: “People of colour are being failed by the system. The white system. Like a broken pipe flooding the apartment of the people living downstairs. The faulty system is making their life a misery, but it’s not their job to fix it. They can’t – no-one will let them in the apartment upstairs.
“This is a white problem. And if white people don’t fix it, someone will have to come upstairs and kick the door in.”
Mr Floyd died after a white police officer held him down by pressing his knee into his neck for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25. His death has sparked days of protests around the world.