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Show notes:

1:00 evidence at trial from historian David Olusoga regarding Colston's ownership of more slaves than any other Brit in history, one of the earliest, biggest slave traders 

1:30 Colston died circa 1720 

1:45 statue of Colston erected by Victorian dignitaries in Bristol

2:10 half of the schools, streets and whatever in Bristol are named after Colston

2:20 circa 1990s, true history of Colston revealed

3:25 in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter protests group pushed Colston statue into the harbor 

3:45 restorative justice by others with community penalty

3:55 Colston 4 jury trial over prosecution of four individuals involved in toppling Colston statute

4:05 Elected for a Crown Court jury trial and were acquitted

5:20 Conservatives and those in the government, including the cabinet, expressed surprise at the verdict

6:10 UK Attorney General considered whether to send the case to the appeal court to consider whether there was an error of law in the direction of the jury

7:50 bill going through Parliament with a provision to increase the potential sentence for criminal damage against a public monument

8:15 proposed bill to change threshold that currently exists for criminal damage against a memorial or public monument with value under 5000 pounds, maximum sentence magistrates that could  impose was three months in prison

8:50 proposed bill is to remove financial threshold and make maximum sentence 10 years

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Music by Toulme.

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© Stephanie Drawdy [2025]