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?"
