A picture shows a sculpture of Bristol resident Jen Reid with an arm raised in a Black Power salute in Bristol, southwest England on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

A statue of a slave trader toppled by anti-racism protesters in Britain in June was replaced Wednesday - without permission - with a sculpture of a black woman who helped pull it down.

The new statue, showing Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester Jen Reid with her fist raised, occupies the plinth where the Edward Colston likeness stood before crowds threw it into Bristol harbor in southwest England.

Entitled "A Surge of Power" by artist Marc Quinn, the new statue was erected without the knowledge of Bristol City Council.

Reid attended the unveiling and told The Guardian newspaper that it was "just incredible."

The local authority had said previously that any decision to replace the Colston statue would be taken locally, a view reinforced by Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees on Wednesday.

The council said in June it will set up a commission to discover Bristol's "true history."

AFP