Banksy creates artwork to support the statue of Edward Colston being pulled down in Bristol
Bristol artist Banksy has shown his support for the statue of slave trader Edward Colston being ripped down and rolled into the harbour, by suggesting that the artwork should be replaced by a statue of the moment it came down.
He showed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement through a post on his Instagram account, accompanied with an artwork showing the statue being pulled down with ropes.
Around 10,000 people attended the protests through Bristol city centre on Sunday 7 June in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Banksy wrote: "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."
Banksy had previously supported the movement in an Instagram post saying that “people of colour are being failed by the system”.
The post was accompanied by a painting.
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.
“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.”