On the 7th of June 2020 The 125 year old statue of Edward Colsten was toppled by a crowd of ‘Back Lives Matter’ protesters before dumping it in the Avon River.
Police claim to be hunting the mob who did the vandalism.
It is easy to judge what happened centuries ago with the mentality of today. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a screwed up logic.
Colsten was doing what in his time was considered to be the right thing to do. Collude with Africans to acquire other Africans for slave trading. One cannot overlook the African contribution to slave trading without which slavery would have hardly been possible.
One could also look at the bright side of things. Without slave trading most of the blacks in the photo would today be in Africa hoping for a better life in the West or worse still, hanging on for dear life on a shaky dinghy praying for an NGO vessel to rescue them.
History takes its turns, swings and sometimes goes in circles. What was then right, is now wrong, and very probably what today is right will be considered folly tomorrow. You cannot change what was, nor deny history. One thing will never change – vandalism will always be vandalism no matter who does it or for what reason, if any it is done.
Vandals are nothing but savages and barbarians whatever colour they come in.
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