British Slaver’s Statue Toppled during Anti-Racism Protests in Bristol (+Video)

Anti-racism protesters in England pulled down a statue of the  17th-century slave trader while demonstrating in solidarity with the US Black Lives Matter movement.

The protesters in Bristol, in southwest England, tied the bronze statue of Edward Colston with rope before toppling it to cheers from the surrounding crowd, CNN reported.

Demonstrators were later seen rolling the statue to the nearby harbor and throwing it into the River Avon.

While the incident garnered much celebration among protesters, local police say an investigation has been launched into the incident.

The statue of Colston had stood in Bristol's city center since 1895 but had become increasingly controversial, with petitions created to demand its removal.

According to local police, Sunday's Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol was attended by an estimated 10,000 people.