Protesters Throw Statue of Slave Trader Into Bristol Harbor

Protesters in Bristol, England, tore down a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into the city’s harbor on June 7.

Video shows the Colston monument being thrown in the harbor and the crowd cheering as the it sinks.

The BBC reported that Colston made his fortune through slavery and was on the board of the Royal African Company, which operated ships that are believed to have transported 84,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas between 1672 and 1689.

Bristol is the city of Colston’s birth, where many buildings and schools are named after him. Credit: Kathryn Bristow via Storyful