Marxists, working under the Black Lives Matter banner, have begun the replacement of statues and symbols of British history with their own artwork and insignia, the first being that of Edward Colston in Bristol, which was torn down last month.
The statue of Edward Colston, who has been dead three centuries, was replaced on Wednesday morning with a sculpture of one of the rioters in classic 'black power' stance. The figure of Jen Reid, who was photographed standing on the plinth with her fist raised, was erected at dawn by a team directed by the artist, Marc Quinn.
The sculpture was not commission by Bristol Council, and its residents weren't consulted, this was performed by the BLM movement specifically as a way of showing their domination. In typical Police cowardice the Bristol Force commented that it was “a matter for Bristol city council”, no surprises there. It should be noted that there have been no prosecutions over the original statue being pulled down and thrown in the river, even though it was filmed by dozens of people with mobile phones AND professional news crews.
Actively squirming the city's mayor, Marvin Rees, issued a statement saying that “the future of the plinth and what is installed on it must be decided by the people of Bristol”. He said the sculpture was “the work and decision of a London-based artist,” and added: “It was not requested and permission was not given for it to be installed." But he stopped short of saying that the council would do anything about it.
Arriving in two lorries before 5am, a team of 10 activists erected the statue of Reid, who said she had been secretly working with Quinn on the idea for weeks. Questions have been asked just how it was possible to create such a statue in just 4 weeks when normally such work takes months, or even years to complete. Some are suggesting that this, rather than being a spontaneous act, was preplanned and forms part of a much bigger plan to come. A Bristol onlooker, who wished to remain nameless for fear of reprisals said "There's no way they could have made something so large and so detailed in the three weeks that plinth has been bare, no way.. this must have been planned." adding "Who the fuck is she anyway? apart from someone who makes a nuisance of herself of course?"
Shortly after the vehicles drove away, Reid's utter narcissism could not be contained and she stood in front of the statue with her fist in the air. “It’s just incredible,” she said. “That’s pretty fucking ballsy, that it is.” "The most powerful moment of the morning", she said later, "was watching children stand next to it and raising their fists. Black children and white children, together.”
The new black resin and steel figure – entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020 – was transported from Quinn’s studio on Tuesday and stored overnight nearby. It was put in place using a hydraulic crane truck parked next to the plinth and sends out a clear message to anyone who is offended by anything: tear it down, smash it up and replace it with something you like.
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