Lewis Hamilton has called for all racist symbols to be torn down. Yesterday, the Formula 1 champion reposted a video on Instagram of the Edward Colston statue being torn down in Bristol, United Kingdom.
Colston was deputy governor of the Royal African Company. He was a slave trader and oversaw the transport of (aka he kidnapped) tens of thousands of African men, women, and children to the United States in the 17th century. It is believed that of the estimated 84,000 people on board, around 19,000 died during the passage. Their bodies were reportedly thrown into the ocean.
On Sunday, Edward Colston’s statue in the heart of Bristol was torn down by protestors and thrown into the water by the nearby docks. The bronze statue was erected in 1895, initially due to Colston’s "philanthropic" efforts in Bristol — however, the money Colston donated was earned from the brutal slave trade.
In his post, Hamilton wrote: Edward Colston was a monster who bought, sold, and traded Africans, human beings, and forced them into slavery until they died. Nobody who did this should be honored. It was/is terrorism. Now. Then. He never should’ve had a statue. I’m proud of the activists and organizers in Bristol, in the United Kingdom, who tore this down. TEAR THEM ALL DOWN. Everywhere.
Join us in taking a stance against institutionalized racism. For more:
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10 anti-racism accounts to help you stay informed.
A simple guide to protesting safely.
