UK councillor hits out at 'thug violence' that led to toppling of 'hero' slave trader's statue by 'criminal mob'

The bronze memorial to Edward Colston stood in Bristol until it was pulled down, dragged through the city and dumped in the harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest on Sunday. Pic: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

A Conservative Party councillor in England has described 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston as a “hero” to the city of Bristol, claiming that his statue was pulled down by a “criminal mob”.