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Colston Four: Toppling of statue not covered by human rights defences, court rules
File photo dated 7/6/2020 of protesters throwing the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest rally. A
THE toppling of slave trader Edward Colston was a “violent act,” the Court of Appeal has ruled, in a decision that campaigners warn could weaken protest rights.
The judgement states that four protesters who were acquitted after tearing down the bronze statue at a Black Lives Matter demo in Bristol in June 2020 should not have been able to invoke their human rights as a defence.
Human rights defences should only be considered by courts in protest-related cases if the damage is “minor” and “low-value,” the ruling states, for example where the damage is temporary.
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