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Graffiti was sprayed on the statue former prime minister Sir Winston Churchill in Westminster to add the words “was a racist”.
The writing was added to the base of the memorial in Parliament Square during the Black Lives Matter protest on Sunday.
Video footage showed a small crowd of demonstrators chanting “Churchill was a racist” and “Boris [Johnson] is a racist”.
A smaller group of people stood around the statue in an apparent attempt to protect it.
Four uniformed police stood nearby as the crowd took photographs.
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protestShow all 16 1 /16Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol. Pictured is the statue covered up before it was pulled down
Tom Wren / SWNS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters pulling down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston
William Want Twitter account/AFP
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters pulling down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston
William Want Twitter account/AFP
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest A protester presses his knee into the neck of the Edward Colston statue
Tom Wren / SWNS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The protest rally was in College Green, Bristol
Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The Edward Colston statue is defaced
Tom Wren / SWNS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest
Tom Wren / SWNS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest A crowd gathers
Tom Wren / SWNS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters dragging the statue of Edward Colston to Bristol harbourside
PA
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The statue is rolled along the street before being dropped into a nearby river
SWNS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest
Tom Wren / SWNS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest
Tom Wren / SWNS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters throw the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour
PA
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest
Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest
TWITTER/SELLOTTIE via REUTERS
Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest
PA
Banners with messages such as “British Colonialism is to Blame” and “What if it was your son?” had earlier been left at the base of the column.
A Black Lives Matter sign was also strapped to Churchills’ belly.
The same statue was targeted by protesters on the anniversary of D-Day on Saturday, when the letters “ACAB” were added to the base in green neon paint. It is believed to stand for “All Cops are B****rds”.
Another sculpture of Churchill in New Bond Street, central London, was splashed with white paint in January 2019.
The latest incident happened shortly after demonstrators in Bristol tore down a statue of 17th slave trader and threw it into the city’s river.
Avon and Somerset launched a police investigation, while home secretary Priti Patel described the incident as “sheer vandalism”.
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