George Floyd death: Protesters tear down slave trader statue

BBC

A slave trader's statue in Bristol has been torn down and thrown into the river during a second day of anti-racism protests across the UK.

It comes after largely peaceful demonstrations in central London on Saturday saw some clashes with police. Metropolitan Police CommissionerCressida Dick urged protesters to find another way to make their views heard.

Tear down: tear 这里是动词，指的是撕毁，磨损的意思 tear down 损毁

Bristol：布里斯托，英国城市   anti-racism protests：反种族歧视抗议

clash with：与···冲突/冲撞  clash over：对···持不同意见

Metropolitan Police Commissioner 一般指伦敦警察厅厅长

make their views heard：意见被听到 make view heard

But thousands of protesters in London are protesting outside the US Embassy for a second day. Protesters in Bristol used ropes to pull down the bronze statue of Edward Colston, a prominent 17th Century slave trader.

pull down：拉倒    bronze statue：铜像

prominent /ˈprɒmɪnənt/ ：important or well known 重要的；著名的；杰出的 a prominent politician 杰出的政治家    slave trader：奴隶贩子

Colston was a member of the Royal African Company, which is believed to have transported about 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas.

On his death in 1721, he bequeathed his wealth to charities and his legacy can still be seen on Bristol's streets, memorials and buildings.

Bequeath /bɪˈkwiːð/  to say in a will that you want sb to have your property, money, etc. after you die （在遗嘱中）把…遗赠给

After the statue fell to the ground, a protester posed with his knee on the statue's neck - reminiscent of the video showing George Floyd, the black man who died while being restrained by a Minnesota police officer.

 reminiscent /ˌremɪˈnɪsnt/：~ of sb/sth reminding you of sb/sth 使回忆起（人或事）

The way he laughed was strongly reminiscent of his father. 他笑的样子让人很容易想起他的父亲。

Mr Floyd's death has become the rallying point for hundreds of ant-racist demonstrations across the globe.

rallying  /ˈræliɪŋ/拉力，rally的现在分词 rallying point ：a person, a group, an event, etc. that makes people come together in support of sth 有感召力的人（或团体、事件等）；号召力

The Colston statue was then dragged through the streets of Bristol and thrown into the river Avon. The empty plinth was then used as a stage for protesters to make speeches.

Plinth /plɪnθ/  a block of stone on which a column or statue stands （雕像或柱子的）底座，柱基

Historian Prof David Olusoga told BBC News that the statue should have been taken down long before.

He said: "Statues are about saying 'this was a great man who did great things'. That is not true, he [Colston] was a slave trader and a murderer."

As well as Sunday's mass protest outside the US Embassy in Nine Elms, near Vauxhall, south London, other protests are also taking place in Manchester, Nottingham and Edinburgh.

标蓝部分都为地名

Some 10,000 are believed to be protesting in Bristol. Many bore placards bearing George Floyd's name alongside slogans such as Black Lives Matter and 'I Can't Breathe'.

Bear-bore-bearing：这里的bore placards bearring，一个词两种意思。我们常见的是做名词用‘熊’和动词‘忍受’。但这里不一样Bear-bore：( old-fashioned ) ( formal ) to carry sb/sth, especially while moving 携带；Bear-bearing：( formal ) to show sth; to carry sth so that it can be seen 显示；带有例如The document bore her signature. 文件上有她的签字。

placard /ˈplækɑːd/ a large written or printed notice that is put in a public place or carried on a stick in a march 标语牌；广告牌；招贴；海报

bore placards bearing George Floyd's name alongside slogans携带显示弗洛伊名字的展板