Retrieve, repair, and reinstall the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol. · petition

What the petition asks

On the 7th of June, the statue of Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into the nearby harbour. This statue should be retrieved from the harbour, repairs should be made if necessary, and the statue should be reinstalled or placed in a museum.

The statue is a piece of Bristol's history, and should not be discarded in such a manner. The removal of the statue was an act of criminal vandalism, and was not decided upon by the people of Bristol. This sets a dangerous precedent for historical statues and monuments in Britain - if this is not dealt with, other pieces of local history are endangered by the government's lack of action. As a Grade II listed structure, this statue is protected and deemed culturally and historically significant.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

Decisions about individual historical monuments, statues, plaques and street names are a matter for the local authority in which they are located and private landowners, not the UK Government or Parliament.

If you want to raise concerns about a particular historical monument or statue you should contact your local authority about this.

The Local Government Association has published an advice note to help councils work to ensure all sections of the community feel heard by decision-makers and each other: https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/community-safety/statues

We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:

Protect all monuments and statues from being taken down: Protect all monuments and statues from being taken down

Make it a specific offence to desecrate national flags, symbols and monuments: Make it a specific offence to desecrate national flags, symbols and monuments

Timeline

7 Jun 2020	Petition opened for signatures
19 Jun 2020	Rejected by the Petitions Committee