Edward Colston - Was He Such Bad Guy?

[ToraToraTora]

the first line of his wikipedia entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Colston#Altruism_and_politics
"He supported and endowed schools, almshouses, hospitals and churches in Bristol, London and elsewhere. Many of his charitable foundations survive to this day" - yes he was a Slave trader but at that time so was the world and his wife. Many slave traders were black Africans. Not saying that excuses it but that was how it was at the time. Seems a little over the top to topple his statue 300 years after his death.

[New Judge]

//Jimmy Savile, a man who raped and molested hundreds of children and young women//

Allegedly.

//Well, while I'm happy for your friend, if I could undo the crimes of Jimmy Savile, a man who raped and molested hundreds of children and young women, by being wheelchair bound for the rest of my life, I'd take the wheels.//

Sorry Mozz, I'm not often so directly critical of my fellow AB-ers, but you're talking utter Bow Locks and I think you know it.

[Spicerack]

Virtue signalling on speed.

[Spicerack]

The far right are just as bad. They scrawled SS Great Britain on one of the ships in the dock.

[andy-hughes]

The issue with the protestors, is their tendency only to view history from their own perspective - in other words, take one aspect of Colston's life, and act on that.

History is far more complex than that, and part of the reason why history is so important is that it has got us to where we are now, and accepting it is a large part of making us a civilised society.

It is a not-lost irony that the very freedoms that Churchill fought for, allow people the 'freedom' to abuse his memorial now.

History evolves, attitudes to it change, but there is never an acceptable reason for mob destruction of anything, because the clue is in the term - destruction by a mob.

There is little doubt that due process would have seen Colston's statue removed in the near future, such was the discomfort at its presence, and that would have been the correct way for it to be removed.

It is neither valid nor rational to simply look at one aspect of history, and visit terminal vandalism on it as a response.

[dannyk13]

What these demonstrators choose to forget, or ignore, is the fact that there were many black slave traders.

[jno]

if there are any statues to black slave traders in Britain, they should be torn down too.

But are there?

[Peter Pedant]

\\ ok I'm off to bed, If this post survives I look forward to the usual racist crap associated with one of my outpourings. night night.I have no insight and I am a sad donkey. I do this on purpose you know/

well that's a late night confession I didnt expect !

I have to say that the BLM british afro caribbean talking about slavery realised that his bristol education would have owed a lot to Colston
unless he goofed off of course

we historians judge by the criteria of the time and not values three hundredyears later

[dannyk13]

jno//if there are any statues to black slave traders in Britain//
I doubt that there are as they did not operate from the uk but from Africa and the Middle East.

[Spicerack]

She's just being a left of centre bounder, Danny.

[Peter Pedant]

// if there are any statues to black slave traders in Britain, they should be torn down too. .... But are there?//

oh come on for chrissakes - the white traders bought off arab slavers at that time looting Guinea ( Guinea trade if you are watching the Bristol House which is less about the fascinating house in Redcliff and more about olusanga's present prejudices)

and no I can certify there is no statue glorifying an arab islamic slave trader

[youngmafbog]

"the people there have lobbied the council to have it removed and allegedly it fell on deaf ears"

You are ware the Major of Bristol is Black and what he is saying is that there were more important issues like tacking unemployment and sorting out the deprived areas than a Statue. From his own lips on Sky this morning.

[jno]

then they're somebody else's business, dannyk. You can always post stern reprimands on Nigerian social media if you want but there's nothing Britons can do about it. Britons can do something about the ones on British soil, and I'm pleased they have.

[Ellipsis]

As I wrote earlier, it's normal to tear down the statues of your oppressors on achieving freedom in your country. Recent examples would be Lenin and Saddam Hussein. I suggest that if Hitler had managed to get a foothold in the UK, we'd have torn his statues down as soon as we regained our freedom and no second thoughts about it.

Colston was an oppressor of black people. A statue of him in this country is an insult to the black British people who are descended from the people he oppressed. The very fact that the statue was standing shows the systemic issues that Black Lives Matter is all about are alive and well in this country, that we allow statues to stand for the historic oppressors of our own people.

But also as I wrote earlier, the protesters were a bit premature in tearing it down. Tearing it down should be an indication that the oppression has been removed. As it is, the oppression is still there and it's only the statue that's gone. That statue was a great indication of the problem. It should have been left standing.

It will, however, be very interesting to see whether the statue is re-erected. Or whether a court case is brought, which could become a show trial for the issues around Black Lives Matter.

[retrocop]

if there are any statues to black slave traders in Britain, they should be torn down too.

//But are there? //

None that comes to mind. We white racist folks did put up a statue of a Black terrorist though. His cruel exploits equalled those of slave traders. 'Tyre necklace'

[jno]

PP, let's not forget the sally rovers who were constantly raiding the West Country for people to sell at the slave markets of the Maghreb, into the 19th century. I trust there are no statues to them to be pulled down?

[youngmafbog]

jno, you approve of mob violence and rule then?

Cant say I am surprised given all your ant British posts on here over the years.

One question, are you British yourself or do you live abroad?

[jno]

he was sneaking out at night from Robben Island to dish out tyre necklaces, was he, retrocop? Very lax of his captors.

[jno]

neither, ymb.

You do realise that women wouldn't have the vote in Britain if it wasn't for violent protest? Should they be disenfranchised again to demonstrate that violence is unacceptable?

[dannyk13]

jno, the point I was making was that the demonstrators seem to think that slave trading was only carried out by white men. I have nothing against demonstrating, but I object to the defacing of Churchill's statue. after all he did much to oppose the racism of the Nazis.I also object to the burning of the union jack which was illustrated in a photograph of the act in a newspaper.