A Star Wars battle droid that appeared overnight on the plinth of the former Colston statue in the centre of Bristol has been removed just hours later. The 7ft tall sculpture was the work of Bristol artist Simon Francis Thomas who said it had been placed on the plinth in conjunction with a three-day Star Wars celebration being held at ExCel in London.
The artist originally said the droid would occupy the plinth until Sunday (April 9). Writing on his Instagram, which shows some of the construction processes in his back garden, he said: "If you are in central Bristol today, pop by our Star Wars Celebration sculpture being displayed for three days on the controversial Colston statue plinth."
It is unclear why the droid has been removed. On social media, the presence of the droid was met with mixed reactions. MrThunderwing wrote on Twitter: "Love this!" while Josh Connor asked: "Do you remember the council consulting on turning the slave trader plinth into an advertising spot?"
Read More: Darth Vader figure disappears from Colston plinth in Bristol
Bristol Live has approached the city council about whether it has any involvement in the droid's occupation of the plinth.
In December 2020, a figurine of Darth Vader was put on the plinth but disappeared a day later. This came after Star Wars actor Dave Prowse, who played Darth Vader and was born in Bristol, died on November 29 following a short illness.
Figures have been placed on, and quickly removed from, the empty plinth of the slave trader since his statue was torn down, dragged a third of a mile and thrown into the harbour during a Black Lives Matter Protest in June 2020. The figure of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid was placed atop the plinth in July 2020, a month after the statue of Colston was toppled.
The toppling of the statue of Edward Colston in the centre of Bristol on June 7, 2020 was seen around the world. The statue was later retrieved from the bottom of Bristol Harbour and was displayed at M Shed from June 2021 to January 2022.
A survey formulated by the We Are Bristol History Commission was the focus of the display, which asked visited what should happen to the statue next. Nearly 14,000 people responded, with four out of five people from Bristol saying that the statue should go on display in a Bristol museum.
The statue is now in M Shed’s collection store, with plans to put it on display in M Shed for the longer term.
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