The first statue in Bristol of a black man is back to its best today after it was attacked again - with an expletive written across the plinth.
The bust of Alfred Fagon, a Bristolian playwright who passed away in 1986, was attacked on Tuesday afternoon, with the C-word written above the name.
Mr Fagon's memorial stands in St Pauls and has been a symbol of pride among the community in the area since it was put up in 1987, on the first anniversary of his death - and the sickening word was cleaned off by local residents first thing this morning.
Read more: The story behind the first statue of a Black person in Bristol
The graffiti was first spotted on Tuesday afternoon when members of the group Sistah Space, an organisation that supports black women victims of abuse, were on a tour of Bristol.
They posted a video of the statue on Instagram, explaining who Alfred Fagon was and why his statue is there. And the account said: "The contrast of a beautiful cultural tour of Bristol, against the harsh reality of racism that still exists." Former local councillor and Lord Mayor of Bristol, Cleo Lake said the graffiti would quickly be cleaned off.
Mr Fagan was a poet and playwright who contributed a lot to the arts industry - not only in Bristol, but also around the country. In commemoration of Mr Fagon, on the first anniversary of his death in 1987, a statue of him was sculpted by David G. Mutasa and commissioned by the Friends of Fagon Committee, chaired by Paul Stephenson.
It is the only statue commemorating a Black person in Bristol and it stands on the corner of Ashley Road and Grosvenor Road.
The first Alfred Fagon Award was presented in 1997 and is given annually. This was established by the same committee which commissioned the sculpture. Previous winners have been: Roy Williams, Shenagh Cameron, Sheila White, Grant Buchanan-Marshall, Adeshegun Ikoli, Linda Brogan and Penny Marshall. This award recognises and celebrates writers of African and Caribbean descent.
It's not the first time the statue has been targeted. A week or so after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was toppled in The Centre in Bristol, the statue of Alfred Fagon was covered in what police and the council said was some kind of corrosive material, although after an investigation, the police said they believed the damage was caused by a 'well-intentioned act that went wrong'.
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