24-year-old man arrested over toppling of Edward Colston statue
By Teddy Coward, Co-Editor-in-Chief
The arrest is understood to be the first in relation to the toppling of the statue.
A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down last month.
The statue was toppled and dumped into the Bristol harbour by demonstrators during the Black Lives Matter protests on 7th June.
The bronze memorial of the 17th century slave trader had stood in Bristol city centre since 1895.
Since its removal from the harbour, Bristol City Council have revealed plans to place it in a museum along with placards from the protest in which it was taken down.
Colston statue removed from Bristol harbour
Petitions launched to replace Colston statue with alternatives celebrating Bristol’s Black community
The 24-year-old is understood to be the first person to be arrested in relation to the incident.
Avon & Somerset Police have said the investigation is still ongoing.
Detective Superintendent Liz Hughes said in an appeal on June 22: ‘The incident attracted worldwide attention and there's no denying it has polarised public opinion.
‘But in the eyes of the law a crime has been committed and we're duty-bound to investigate this without fear or favour.
‘I'd like to reassure people we're carrying out a thorough, fair and proportionate investigation and have sought early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.’
Featured Image: Rufus Atkins
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