Fair enough, but still as I stated in my initial post, there are proper ways to do something. You cannot rip something down because you don't agree with it. From what I have read he was a slave dealer which is truly shocking and makes me wonder why this statue was put there in first place. But the fact is that it was there and for a group of protesters to decide they want to rip it down is wrong.
Just as a discussion point, a guy has just been on LBC supporting the statue protesters and also saying he goes to a place in Ghana to be reminded of the injustice of slavery. Hmmm
Fair enough I have no experience like you have so puts me in a weaker position to argue in some ways but I still hold the view that the police in Bristol did as well as they could I am not sure I agree with your bully analogy either, but I doubt either of us is going to convince the other
Dont like calling it arguing tbh mate,I would rather call it a debate where I 100% respect your right to your opinion, I certainly dont shout just because you have a different mindset, debates are a good thing, but it's the insults I dont like for something as simple as a difference of opinion
In the case of this particular statue, people have campaigned for it to be removed for years and years. But somehow it never has been. Somehow there's always been a beaurocratic reason for it to remain. I wonder why? The elastic band has finally snapped.
I can certainly agree with you on that. I also tend to find that usually those who resort to insults are those who can no longer justify their position logically and rather than admit the other has a valid point throw their toys out of the pram
If things been done in the past and nothing has been done then that raises many questions as to why its not been removed before as based on what that guy is famous for it should not be in situ. I still feel a little uneasy about them taking matters into their own hands but with this example I guess it is pretty justified if proper measures had been followed in the past and ignored. Most other acts that we have seen over the last few days are not acceptable though.
Rumours are that the Merchant Venturers have blocked previous attempts to remove the statue or change the wording around it. One of those old "societies" like the Freemasons who have significant power and influence but keep in the background.
Erasing history is a slippery and dangerous slope. Can we erect some statues of William Wilberforce? I'd love to see a poll. New statues of Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson, or Mao, Lenin and Marx.
Pulling down a statue commemorating a slave trader is hardly erasing history. Did you know anything about him until yesterday - I must admit I didnt but I do now. I do however know quite a lot about Wiberforce and Clarkson, Mao Lenin and Marx without their statues being prominently displayed. I think as a local historan Professor David Olusoga said - it should be in a museum not glorifying the guy as for erasing history - I think the opposite in this case
My point was that removing and defacubg statues might be at first carried out with 'noble' intentions but it can often morph into much worse. Read a few those things called books and you'll see what I mean. Colston doesn't deserve a statue today. That's obvious. But just throwing everything into the river that we don't like is not a wise way of developing as a country.