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Liam Rosenior celebrates toppling of Edward Colston statue in Bristol

Former Premier League player, who attended school named after Edward Colston, tweets in support of Black Lives Matter

HULL, ENGLAND- AUGUST 06: XXX during the Sky Bet Championship  match between Hull City and Aston Villa at the KCOM Stadium on August 6, 2018 in Hull, England. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty ImagesHULL, ENGLAND- AUGUST 06: Sky sports  football pundit Liam Rosenior before the Sky Bet Championship  match between Hull City and Aston Villa at the KCOM Stadium on August 6, 2018 in Hull, England. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images)*** Liam Rosenior ***  .
Image: Liam Rosenior began his playing career in Bristol and played in the Premier League for Fulham, Reading, Hull and Brighton

Derby coach Liam Rosenior celebrated as the statue of slaver Edward Colston was toppled in Bristol during a Black Lives Matter protest on Sunday.

The ex-England youth international, who grew up in Bristol, said "pardon me for enjoying this moment of irony" as the statue was torn to the ground by ropes and thrown into one of the quays.

Rosenior, who began his professional career at Bristol City and went on to make over 140 Premier League appearances, tweeted: "My name is Liam Rosenior (slave name). I lived in Bristol as child.

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A statue of slave trader Edward Colston has been torn down during an anti-racism protest in Bristol

"I attended COLSTONS (slave owner and killer) primary school in order to receive my "education". Pardon me for enjoying this moment of irony. #BlackLivesMatterUK #BlackLivesMattters."

Rosenior has been an active supporter of the ongoing Black Lives Matters protests on social media, and also penned an open letter to Donald Trump last week via The Guardian newspaper.

Meanwhile, the home secretary Priti Patel has said the toppling of the Colston statue is "utterly disgraceful", labelling it "sheer vandalism", as she also warned the protests were a danger to public health amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

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The bronze memorial to Colston has been in Bristol city centre since 1895. It has been the subject of an 11,000-strong petition to have it removed.

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