Big Jeff responds to petition calling for Bristol's Colston Hall to be renamed after him

Last weekend, protesters toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in the city, which has sparked a new wave of people asking for the Colston Hall venue to be renamed.

The slave trader has numerous buildings and roads named after him throughout the city, and many people have been targeting the Colston Hall music venue to change its name asap following the removal of Colston's statue.

Jeffrey Johns, aka Big Jeff, is the centre of a new petition, which is aiming to get Colston Hall renamed as Big Jeff Hall.

The petition currently has over 2000 signatures, but Big Jeff would rather not have the venue named after him. Speaking to NME, Johns said, "Part of me feels flattered, but there’s also a part that feels overwhelmed. I’m being put on a pedestal and I don’t mind to a certain extent, but I don’t think I warrant having such a big space named after me."

Two days ago (8 June), Johns replied to someone on Twitter who said they should replace Colston's statue with one of Big Jeff. He responded, "Replace it with a statue of Paul Stephenson someone who is a really inspirational civil rights activist who made a positive contribution to the city. Also it might undermine the whole point of the Black Lives Matter Protest."

Replace it with a statue of Paul Stephenson someone who is a really inspirational civil rights activist who made a positive contribution to the city. Also it might undermine the whole point of the Black Lives Matter Protest

— Jeffrey Johns (@BigJeffJohns) June 8, 2020