A STATUE of Edward Colston has been retrieved from Bristol Harbour after being thrown into the water by protestors on Sunday.
Bristol City Council took to social media today (June 11) to explain why the statue had to be salvaged.
A spokesman said: "Early this morning we retrieved the statue of Colston from Bristol Harbour. It is being taken to a secure location before later forming part of our museums collection.
"As we run a working harbour, the statue needed to be removed. Thank you to Bristol Harbour, Bristol Museum and the salvage crew for assisting us."
Early this morning we retrieved the statue of Colston from Bristol Harbour. It is being taken to a secure location before later forming part of our museums collection. pic.twitter.com/moRG8AnNYa
— Bristol City Council (@BristolCouncil) June 11, 2020
The controversial statue of Edward Colston was toppled on Sunday (June 7) during Black Lives Matter protests.
The merchant, who was Tory MP for Bristol from 1710 to 1713, donated large sums to charities which led to the statue being erected in 1895.
However, he made his fortune from trading slaves as a board member of the Royal African Company.
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