Mayor of Bristol: Colston Four verdict has little to do with fighting racism | Bristol

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The verdict in the Colston Four trial has little to do with efforts to tackle racism in Bristol, the city’s mayor said as he defended himself against criticism for failing to act on the Merchant’s statue sooner. ‘Edward Colston slaves.

Speaking to the Guardian after three men and a woman were cleared of criminal damage caused by the statue toppling in 2020, Marvin Rees said the statue’s fate was symbolic but he had “no reaction “to the verdict.

“More power for them as individuals,” Rees said. “I hope they have a good life and everything, but what happened to them in court really has very little to do with what we’re trying to do in town.

“My job in Bristol is to keep the city together and fight racism. What happened to the individuals who took down the statue has very little to do with fighting against racial and class inequalities in the city. “

On Wednesday, a jury acquitted Jake Skuse, Rhian Graham, Milo Ponsford and Sage Willoughby, who played a key role in the downfall of the 17th century slave merchant statue at a Black Lives Matter protest and in the growing in the River Avon.

Rees and the council had been criticized for not acting on the Colston statue more quickly. Council culture chief Jon Finch, who appeared in court to testify for the prosecution, admitted it caused an offense but said no official action was underway at the time of the overthrow.

Rees became the first directly elected black mayor in Europe in 2016. Taking office amid a toxic Brexit debate, he said he couldn’t afford to waste political capital on prioritizing dismantling of a statue.

What did he say [then] does it happen to my political capital to really act on employment, housing, education? What happens? It evaporates. So you might end up sacrificing real substantive politics for token politics.

“I also think about what could have happened [is that] you could have scared people and made it very difficult for the blacks who came after me to get elected. So there is a context to it that people who talk about privilege wouldn’t understand, which really matters and gets lost in sensation. “

Before Colston’s overthrow, the big debate around Bristol’s slave trader’s legacy revolved around Colston Hall, the city’s most important artistic venue, Rees said. Efforts had been concentrated there and a name change was accepted, which was only delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

“So, in fact, it is incorrect to say that nothing was happening. We may not have prioritized the statue at that point, but it’s a strategic decision on where to focus our energies, ”he said.

Rees has denied claims that counsel supported the charge. “We were asked to give an account of the facts of what happened and we provided it,” he said. “And our culture manager has been called to testify on one side or the other, of course he will introduce himself. What is he going to do ? Do not go?”

Ultimately, Rees said, he was glad the Colston statue was no longer there. “I’m glad there isn’t a statue of a slave owner in the city,” he said. “I found out that my great-great-great-great-grandfather had been hanged by the British for participating in the Morant Bay rebellion; my family may have belonged to Colston, transported by Colston, right?

“I am a descendant of African slaves, I don’t want the statue to stand in the middle of the city. But this is a discussion.

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