Edward Colston statue: Man, 24, arrested over toppling of monument in Bristol during protests
The statue is set to be displayed in a museum along with placards from a Black Lives Matter protest.
Thursday 2 July 2020 09:47, UK
A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down in Bristol.
The bronze monument was toppled and then pushed into the city's harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest on 7 June.
No arrests were made at the time, but Avon and Somerset Police later released 15 images of people they wished to speak to after looking at footage of the statue being pulled down with ropes.
The statue had been in the city centre since 1895 and is one of a number of tributes to Colston in the city.
The council has since retrieved the statue from the harbour and plans to display it in a museum along with placards from the BLM protest.
Demonstrations took place across the US and the UK last month following the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
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Referring to the toppling of the statue, Detective Superintendent Liz Hughes said in an appeal on 22 June: "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."
Police said a "large amount" of video footage and images of the incident circulated online and on social media, and was examined as part of the investigation.
The force has said the inquiry is still ongoing.