Banksy reveals suggestion to replace Edward Colston statue toppled by protesters in Bristol

Banksy has offered his own suggestion for what could replace the toppled statue of Edward Colston in Bristol - and it includes putting it partially back up to reflect what recently happened.

Revealing a new sketch on his Instagram account, the secretive graffiti artist shared his thoughts on what should happen to the plinth, which stands empty after demonstrators yanked the statue down during Black Lives Matter protests on Sunday.

His black and white drawing shows four protesters in the middle of pulling down the bronze statue of the slave trader, which is close to toppling backwards.

He captioned the post: "What should we do with the empty plinth in the middle of Bristol?

"Here's an idea that caters for both those who miss the Colston statue and those who don't.

"We drag him out the water, put him back on the plinth, tie cable round his neck and commission some life size bronze statues of protesters in the act of pulling him down.

"Everyone happy. A famous day commemorated."

The artist has publicly expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and shared another post on Sunday with a painting of a vigil candle burning an American flag.

"At first I thought I should just shut up and listen to black people about this issue," he said.

"But why would I do that? It's not their problem, it's mine."

He continued: "People of colour are being failed by the system. The white system. Like a broken pipe flooding the apartment of the people living downstairs.

"The faulty system is making their life a misery, but it's not their job to fix it. They can't - no-one will let them in the apartment upstairs.

"This is a white problem. And if white people don't fix it, someone will have to come upstairs and kick the door in."

Protests across the world have been sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd , who was killed when a police officer knelt on his neck.

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Banksy's recent artworks have also paid tribute to NHS workers, with one piece appearing at Southampton Hospital which showed a young boy playing with a superhero nurse toy.