Secret Black Lives Matter Statue Erected on Bristol’s Controversial Plinth
A bold new statue of a Black Lives Matter protester has mysteriously appeared overnight on Bristol’s plinth where the infamous slave trader Edward Colston once stood.
Protester Jen Reid Captured in New Sculpture
In the early hours of July 15, a striking figure of protester Jen Reid was placed on the empty plinth. Reid famously struck a Black Power salute there after Colston’s statue was toppled during a June march.
The piece, titled A Surge of Power, was created by artist Marc Quinn and was installed without official permission.
City Boss Demands Removal, Promises Public Vote
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees fired a warning on Twitter: “I understand people want expression, but the statue has been put up without permission. Anything put on the plinth outside of the process we’ve put in place will have to be removed. The people of Bristol will decide its future.”
Artist and Activist: Temporary Spark for Change
Jen Reid said, “On my way home from the protests on 7 June, I felt an overwhelming impulse to climb onto the plinth, just completely driven to do it by the events which had taken place right before. When I was stood there on the plinth, and raised my arm in a Black Power salute, it was totally spontaneous, I didn’t even think about it.”
Reid teamed up with Quinn after the impulsive moment. She praised the artist for “pushing inclusion to the forefront of people’s minds and using his art to make people think.”
Quinn stressed the statue is not a permanent fix: “Jen and I are not putting this sculpture on the plinth as a permanent solution – it’s a spark which we hope will help bring continued attention to this vital and pressing issue.”
Will This Statue Stay or Go? Public Debate Heats Up
The surprise installation is set to re-ignite fierce debate over public monuments across the UK, echoing the uproar sparked when Colston’s statue was torn down and dumped in Bristol Harbour. The venerable plinth remains a flashpoint in the national conversation about history, race, and who deserves to be honoured in stone.
