Statues and street names in London that have links to slavery "should be taken down", the city's mayor Sadiq Khan has said.

This comes after anti-racism protesters toppled a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol at the weekend. 71-year-old protestor John McAllister said of the statue;

"It says 'erected by the citizens of Bristol, as a memorial to one of the most virtuous and wise sons of this city'."

"The man was a slave trader. He was generous to Bristol but it was off the back of slavery and it's absolutely despicable. It's an insult to the people of Bristol".

You can watch the moment the statue was pulled down here:

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London mayor Sadiq Khan revealed that he has set up a commission to review landmarks in the capital city to make sure they reflect its diversity, reports the BBC.

Mr Khan said London was "one of the most diverse cities in the world", but that the recent Black Lives Matter protests had highlighted that many of its statues and street names reflect Victorian Britain.

"It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and city owes a large part of its wealth to its role in the slave trade.

"While this is reflected in our public realm, the contribution of many of our communities to life in our capital has been wilfully ignored." The mayor said.

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At the weekend, protesters sprayed the words "was a racist" onto a statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square. It was reported that protests across the United Kingdom were largely peaceful, though some saw "clashes with police" per the BBC.

This news comes as unrest continues to unfold across the US and around the world, as protests - some peaceful, some violent - are calling out the systemic injustices carried out against black people, not least seen by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.

The message is simple: Black lives matter.

VT proudly supports Black Lives Matter, and for ways to contribute to the cause, please click HERE.

London statues with slavery links 'should be taken down', says mayor