BLM Protester Statue Removed Next Day After Being Secretly Installed in Bristol, City's Council Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A statue of a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester that was secretly installed in UK's Bristol to replace the monument to slave trader Edward Colston was removed by the city authorities on Thursday, Bristol City Council said in a statement.

"This morning we removed the sculpture. It will be held at our museum for the artist to collect or donate to our collection. Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees issued a statement yesterday about the need for a democratic process where the people of Bristol decide the future of the plinth," the сouncil tweeted.

This morning we removed the sculpture. It will be held at our museum for the artist to collect or donate to our collection. Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees issued a statement yesterday about the need for a democratic process where the people of Bristol decide the future of the plinth

— Bristol City Council (@BristolCouncil) July 16, 2020

​According to the Sky News broadcaster, the council contractors were seen removing the monument in the early hours of Thursday.

The monument, depicting black protester Jen Reid with her fist raised, was installed during a Black Lives Matter march in the early hours of Wednesday without informing the Bristol City Council.

The move came after the Bristol statue of Colston, the 17th-century merchant, was toppled by protesters on June 7 amid a wave of demonstrations against racial inequality in the aftermath of African American man George Floyd's death in US police custody.

Statues and monuments commemorating individuals linked with slavery or racism have become a major target of Black Lives Matters demonstrators in the wake of Floyd’s death on May 25 in the city of Minneapolis.