Enslaved African man's grave in Bristol smashed in 'retaliation attack' over Colston statue

David Mercer, news reporter Sky News18 June 2020

The grave of an enslaved African man has been vandalised in an apparent "retaliation attack" after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was torn down in Bristol.

The Grade II-listed headstone in memory of Scipio Africanus, who lived in the city in the 18th century, has been smashed and a message scrawled in chalk on flagstones nearby.

The message warned: "Put Colston's statue back or things will really heat up."

The memorial to Scipio Africanus, who died aged 18 in 1720, is located in St Mary's churchyard in Henbury, Bristol.

Local councillor Mark Weston said the vandalism "looks like a retaliation attack for the recent events involving the Colston statue" and asked: "Where will this end?"

He told Sky News: "I'm absolutely gutted.

"The listed grave is part of the community's history.

"To see it has been wantonly damaged has caused a lot of upset among residents."

Cllr Weston added that work to repair the headstone was already under way.

The vicar of Henbury, David Lloyd, said there had been plans to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Scipio Africanus' death this year before the coronavirus outbreak

He told Sky News: "People visit from all over the world to pay their respects and look at the monument."

Avon and Somerset Police said it was investigating a report of criminal damage, which is believed to have happened between midday on Tuesday and 8am on Wednesday.

A force spokesman said: "Our investigation into what happened is at an early stage. Officers have been at the scene and have carried out house-to-house and CCTV inquiries."

Police have urged anyone with information about the vandalism to contact them.

The tomb is an early example of a memorial to a man born into slavery and who ended his life as a servant in an English aristocratic household, Historic England states on its website.

Most of the available information about Scipio Africanus is "inscribed on his tomb", it says.

During his life, Scipio Africanus was servant to Charles Howard, the 7th Earl of Suffolk.

The headstone, which features black cherubs, states he was born in about 1702 and died on 12 December 1720.

Scipio Africanus was given his name by the Earl or by a previous "owner" - names of Roman origin were frequently chosen for enslaved people, Historic England states.

Marvin Rees, the mayor of Bristol, described the memorial as an "iconic piece of Bristol's history".

Earlier this month protesters used ropes to pull down the Colston statue, which was erected in 1895, from its plinth in Bristol city centre.

It was then dragged to the harbourside, where it was thrown into the water near Pero's Bridge - named in honour of enslaved man Pero Jones who lived and died in the city.

Bristol City Council retrieved the statue, which will be displayed in a museum along with placards from the Black Lives Matter protest, from the water on 11 June.