News / Black Lives Matter
Bristol reflects one year on from murder of George Floyd
Silence fell on College Green as the clock chimed 8pm and people stood to remember George Floyd and others who have lost their lives.
Black Lives Matter signs were held, flowers laid and candles lit as Bristol marked one year since the murder in Minneapolis that sparked protest movements across the globe.
Derek Chauvin, a white former police officer, killed George Floyd on May 25 2020 by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes. This is how long people stood in silence on College Green to remember all of the people who have lost their lives due to racism and inequality. Only a solemn drumbeat marked the occasion.
is needed now More than ever
The vigil on Tuesday evening was the first of a series of events that will be held across the city in the days leading up to June 7, which will be the one year anniversary of the toppling of Colston’s statue, a pivotal moment in Bristol’s history.
Standing before the people gathered on Tuesday evening, Cleo Lake, a campaigner and former councillor who recently ran for the role of police and crime commissioner, poured a libation “for our ancestors and for George Floyd”.
“We know him by name, a man who lived quite an ordinary life but through the inhumane and brutal way that he died, he caused an extraordinary occurrence in our world,” said Cleo.
“Things have changed and they’ve changed in Bristol and there’s no way now we can ever go back. Now that we’re on the road to repair, we cannot go back.”
People gathered for a vigil on College Green to mark one year since the murder of George Floyd
There was poetry, spoken word, song and speeches at the vigil, which was organised by the newly formed collective Glad Colston’s Gone.
Rob Mitchell, a performance artist and filmmaker who co-hosted the event with Ros Martin, told Bristol24/7: “It’s important to mark this high profile murder by doing this vigil, partly in remembrance of someone who has lost their life, but also the millions who have lost their lives, not just through police brutality but even through the transatlantic enslavement and abuse and degradation that’s gone before that.”
Rob said the murder of George Floyd sparked a “shift in the world consciousness”, adding: “We can share our support and celebrate some of that shift in consciousness and celebrate the resistance that’s come about.”
‘There has been a shift in consciousness’ – Rob Mitchell
All photos and videos by Ellie Pipe
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