Civil rights campaigners, music lovers and artists have welcomed a decision by Bristol’s largest concert hall to ditch the “toxic” name of the slave trader Edward Colston after years of protests and boycotts.
Oh, for fuck’s fucking fuckitty fuck’s sake! It’s a part of the city. It’s a part of the city’s history.
The charity that runs Colston Hall will come up with a new name when the venue reopens in 2020 after a multimillion pound refurbishment but is also bracing itself for a backlash from critics who claim it is airbrushing history and pandering to a vocal minority.
That’s precisely what they have done. The appropriate response to these vile creatures is to stand firm. Ignore them. Refuse to comply. Refuse to apologise, refuse to explain. It’s the Colsnawl. It will always be the Colsnawl. I will continue to refer to it as the Colsnawl until the day I die.
Katie Finnegan-Clarke, ex-Colston Girls’ school pupil, campaigner, trainer and a member of Countering Colston, said: “It’s only just the beginning. We will continue to target all buildings, statues, schools and public houses that continue to celebrate one of Britain’s most notorious slave traders by keeping him as their namesake. We will continue to fight for justice and respect for people of colour in our city.”
Every time we appease these people, they come back for more. They will not stop unless we present an implacable brick wall. Refuse completely to comply with their demands. It’s the only way.
I have spent half my life in that building as a Music Critic for Sounds, NME and Melody Maker. The name doesn’t bother me at all. You cannot airbrush history and hope to have a sane perspective on it… you have to look it squarely in the eye and accept it for what it was.
They’re simply following Uncle Joe’s fine example by airbrushing out those who are no longer in (their) favour. Maybe they should call it the Stalin Hall after their hero.
I note that Katie Finnegan-Clarke isn’t ‘a person of colour’, perhaps she should leave it to those that are to complain, if they can be bothered?
It is probably more likely that the later arrivals of ‘people of colour’ are descended from Colston’s suppliers so they might like to keep the name!