Pictures show how a group of men reportedly attempted to 'save' a statue that had been thrown into Bristol Harbour by Black Lives Matters protesters.
The statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and dragged through the streets following anti-racism activists on Sunday, triggered by the death of George Floyd.
But, for reasons that remains unknown, a small group apparently attempted to stage a recovery mission to retrieve the monument from the water.
The men jumped into the water and used a pole to help dislodge the bronze figure from the bottom of the harbour, to little avail.
The destruction of the Colston statue provoked outrage, including Home Secretary Priti Patel who condemned the incident as ‘utterly disgraceful’.
Labour leader Keir Starmer also branded the vandalism as "completely wrong" - but said that it should have been removed "a long time ago".
On Sunday, a memorial to Winston Churchill was vandalised after Black live Matter protests took place in central London.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister acknowledged many of the activists' concerns were "founded on a cold reality".
The leader had previously condemned the "thuggery" by a minority that marred some demonstrations -
Today, demonstrators will protest in front of the statue of Cecil Rhodes in Oxford on Tuesday as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
It comes amid a wider "decolonise" movement sweeping universities across the world in recent years.
Today a symbolic and socially distanced commemoration is planned at the Nelson Mandela statue in Parliament Square in London at 5pm, organised by Stand Up To Racism.
yesterday, protesters were told to 'go back to Africa' as they were verbally abused by a mob at a Black Lives Matter demonstration at a town in England yesterday.
Up to 300 people attended the anti-racism protest at the Clock Tower in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, which was met by opposition from a group of largely white men.
Footage shows how counter-demonstrators hurled insults at the group, including one unidentified person who was clearly heard saying "go back to Africa".
