News / Bristol
‘All Lives Matter’ protesters ‘defend’ Cenotaph in Bristol
Signs saying ‘not far right’ were held up by men as they posed for photographs in front of the Cenotaph in Bristol city centre soon after midday on Saturday.
‘All lives matter’ was also written on the banners that were unfurled.
The banners had a message to Avon & Somerset police superintendent Andy Bennett – criticised and lauded in equal measure for not interfering when the statue of Edward Colston was removed six days ago – saying that they were “just ordinary people of all races… united to defend the Cenotaph”.
is needed now More than ever
Dozens of motorbikes were parked nearby as protesters gathered around the war memorial while a ring of police kept a watchful eye on proceedings.
Many of the people gathered appeared to be former military personnel, with others in biker gangs with ranks such as ‘Sgt at Arms’ and ‘Enforcer’ sewn onto their leather jackets.
The Cenotaph is only a few yards away from the plinth that until Sunday had Colston’s statue on top of it.
Placards still left from the Black Lives Matter march were picked up by a few people, with a student journalist shoved to the ground in the resulting melee.
“This isn’t an all lives matter protest,” wrote Rob French on Bristol24/7’s Facebook page.
“These veterans are there to protect and show respect for the cenotaph and that is it, the scenes of the protestors using cenotaphs as billboards for their own agendas and vandalising from last weekend have caused this to be needed.
Alistair Anderson replied: “Protecting a thing no one wants to smash up from people that are not going to smash it up? Sounds about right.”
Main photo by Martin Booth
Read more: Black actor Alfred Fagon’s statue in St Paul’s covered in corrosive substance
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