George Floyd Protests in Hyde Park

Excerpt from David Olusoga’s Guardian article

“The historical symmetry of this moment is poetic. A bronze effigy of an infamous and prolific slave trader dragged through the streets of a city built on the wealth of that trade, and then dumped, like the victims of the Middle Passage, into the water. Colston lies at the bottom of a harbour in which the ships of the triangular slave trade once moored, by the dockside on to which their cargoes were unloaded.“

The NW did the country proud during the protests---no damage no thuggery and Liverpool had every right to kick off as the birthplace of slavery but there was peace and understanding instead, yet they're the least funded in every way.
John Barnes summed it up by saying give the blacks the same opportunities as whites, in every way. Again, equality above all.
Encouragement and recognition.

timetogo
a white person, of course not. Neither would a black person even in such a vicious way as this.

A revolution is a riot accepted by history.

Change is already happening. Minneapolis has disbanded its police department and is starting from scratch. There will be changes seen in elections as they come up.
It is not the protests that are horrendous and dispicable (sic) it is the actions and issues that are being protested. The fact that they don't affect you does not reduce their importance.

I wonder if it was a white person killed would this rioting be taking place ? i think NOT.What happened is totally horrendous and dispicable.
All lives matter,thats why we went to war or has that been forgotten by these pathetic rioters.
Some people regardless of race just love to get on the band wagon and start riots.
They are bloody idiots and so much for social distancing.
And as for what went on in Bristol.....well it beggars belief.

Hear, hear Jaycee5.

Paddyann always refers to the RF as parasites, this obviously includes the Queen. As parasites are vile that is reason for my comments about the vilest person !

What a foul foul poem.

Firecracker: You express it just right!

jaycee, absolutely.

There will always be a reason on why murdering a black person was “justifiable”

Summerlove You would think so - although Brionna Taylor seems pretty close to one and it didn't save her. No doubt people are trawling through her background in the hope that they can find a time when she once smoked a spliff which will be full justification.
Just one of the many things that needs to change.

What a horrible poem.

Jaycee, apparently they do need to be saints.

Firecracker What a nasty poem. Black people don't have to be saints to not be murdered by the police and the allegations of criminality are frequently posted but never with citations.
No one is forced to join in with protests.

I agree with this article
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/08/edward-colston-statue-history-slave-trader-bristol-protest

If I had turned up in Bristol with a group of friends and had proceeded to pull down a statue and fling it into the river I would expect, quite rightly, to be arrested.

Why then were the louts allowed to get away with their stupid stunt?

The phrase ‘one rule for them and another for the rest of us’ is far more appropriate here than it was for Dominic Cummings.

The Statue was damaged as it was rolled for 1K to the harbour.

If you only watch mainstream news you will have only seen what they want to show, look on U tube/twitter for footage posted by bystanders and protesters

I won’t kneel with the masses,
I won’t be told my fate,
By people who hijack tragedy,
To perpetuate their hate.

Don’t you shout Black Lives Matter,
Whilst running through the streets,
When your people are burning Foot Locker,
Stealing Nikes for their feet.

Don’t dance on The Cenotaph,
Like it’s Carnival or Mardi Gras,
That sacred granite edifice,
Marks people who died in war.

How dare you besiege Number 10,
This isn’t even our fight,
If you want to go and protest,
Get a 4,000 mile flight.

Social distancing flouted,
Police punched in the face,
Missiles hurled at Downing Street.,
This isn’t about race.

It’s rent-a-mob and anarchists,
Versus police led by lambs,
They just stand there and take it,
Lefty Cressida tied their hands.

Meanwhile America’s burning,
It’s a tragedy we all agree,
That George Floyd lost his life,
For all the world to see.

Justice must take its course,
The cop has lost his job,
Now he faces twelve good and true,
Not a braying mob.

So Monday I won’t be kneeling,
I won’t even bow my head,
Because someone I don’t even know,
Has wound up dead.

An armed robber and a felon,
In and out of jail,
As a model citizen,
He was a total fail.

I’ll weep for whom I choose to,
I’ll say where and when,
Not because a lifelong offender,
Bought it in the end.

I don’t condone the officers,
They rightly face the wrath,
But ask me to kneel for a criminal?
Don’t make me laugh.

You can keep your lefty rhetoric,
Your dismantling of our state,
It’s BLM not Middle England,
That’s peddling the hate.

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As I understand it, apart from the disgraceful incidents in London on Saturday evening, the protests have been peaceful.

Why is everyone getting so hysterical?

NOBODY HAS TRASHED THE STATUE

Will you all stop going on about damage to property. It hasn't been damaged. It's intact at the bottom of the harbour.

Grandad, many thanks for your attempt to broaden the discussion here. No one defends slavery now. It’s also worth remembering that many citizens were horrified and campaigned to have slavery made illegal which eventually happened in 1833. Yes I do know about modern day slavery.

Your points about Dresden and Hiroshima are well made. The comments from your parents are very similar to the ones I heard from the older generation in my family.

Grandad mentions our equality, health and safety laws to remind us we do live in a liberal democracy. We all need to,protect and cherish that. Protest yes but peacefully.

A good post Grandad. Your post at 16.08 Whitewavemark I'm not sure I understand the point you're making. Are you saying that the trashing of property for a laugh is wrong, but the trashing of property to draw attention to racism is right?

Surely trashing property for either reason is wrong.

Grandad you are right, we cannot judge past actions by today's values and to dismiss it means we do not learn from it.

If anyone wants to read about another emancipated slave then look up Nathaniel Wells, born 1779, son of a plantation owner and a slave who became the first black High Sheriff in Britain and JP.

EllanVannin

So, Galaxy, why aren't they protected ? Even the police know that this goes on. Where are all the child protection officers ??

Probably defunded by years of austerity.

Walk round places like Trafalgar Square, who can name the people who are represented there. If something needs to be commemorated let it be with something useful - drinking fountains, special park benches like the ones for Poppy Day, sheltered people can sit in like at the seaside. I'm sure GNers are brimming with ideas, just ask us.

There is a museum in Hull.
The Wilberforce House Museum, well worth a visit.