George Floyd Protests in Hyde Park

... So if he is off to protect the war memorials in London this weekend...

I don't think that the BLM movement is particularly worried about war memorials, are they? I suspect that the Cenotaph was just a tempting blank wall for a misguided idiot... I don't think BLM are out to target them.

Still, if it keeps the lads out of mischief I don't see any harm in them spending time 'protecting' them... It'll probably keep them out of the way of the BLM protest.

Police brutality is never right. I just think this whole situation has been blown out of all proportion. The perpetrators will pay for their crime and steps should be taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again. But I don’t see how it has turned into the uproar it has. And yes I do dispute that whole swathes of the black community are still hung up on the slavery issue to the point suggested by the protests.
And I don’t believe that the killing of a white person by police in the USA would have caused the unrest that this killing has.

oldglimmer1 Have you never be landed with a fake bill? I have had a £5 note handed back to me in a shop. Given the way that currencu works and the amount of forged money in circulation, anyone can be given one in change and inadvertently try to spend it.
It isn't a crime unless he did it knowingly and there is no evidence of that.

Rosalyn69 a voice of sanity.
Maisie D it wasn’t BLM supporters then who defaced Churchill’s statue and burnt the Union Jack flag on the cenotaph in London? Actually it may well not have been but some of the mindless rent a mob. Please let’s get back to law and order especially with the risk of spreading Covid19.

FarNorth
I think it possible, but don’t know as a fact, that the type of situation your friend has described is probably typical of the ‘low level’ racism present in this and other countries. This is the most difficult to deal with, as it is not overtly racist. We have laws that protect people from racism, so it seems to me, I might be wrong, that this low level racism is what people experience in their everyday lives. Clearly rioting, injuring police officers and horses and so on will benefit no one, in my opinion. But how do we ensure that the small acts of racism that probably occur every day, how we ensure they don’t happen. Education obviously, but that takes time. What is the answer?

GrannyGravy
To answer your initial question, it seems clear that these large gatherings of people will spread Covid19. Let’s hope that’s wrong.

Annie
I remember the Keith Blakelock case. It was truly a most disgusting crime. The way that poor man died is truly horrific. And yes, I believe it was a racist crime.

@jaycee I said he was being arrested on suspicion of a petty crime. I didn't say he was guilty of it.

"small acts of racism that probably occur every day...".

Examples please?

Interesting information from Professor Kate Williams.

People like Colston frequently became philanthropic later in life because they hoped to buy their way into heaven..

So, far from assuming that he was not aware of the evil of his trade she suggests that people were indeed very aware of what they were doing, and felt the need to try to mitigate their actions by charitable deeds, which to my mind doesn’t mitigate it at all, only makes it worse.

oldgimmer if you need examples of racism that people experience today, the I would respectively like to suggest you do more reading and become more aware of what is happening all around you!!

I do not think anyone on here would disagree with your last post Whitewavenark2 Another reason to inform people of his deeds.

Oops both of your posts 16.09 and 16.11

whitewave please do not patronise me.

I do not need educating.

I've asked for examples. Is it that difficult to oblige me?.

oldgimmer so your post was disingenuous?

I was being disingenuous a bit.

You're just asking to be wound up. Perhaps if you lay off the finger-wagging and lecturing you'd be taken more seriously.

FarNorth, this happened to my daughter when she visited America. She went with her friend, who just happens to be Asian. At the airport, the white people were waved through, but it was her friend who was singled out to be searched.

My partner is always being searched. He's white.

I only finger wag and lecture at those who deserve it???

I do live in the US. Today showed a 19% increase in covid hospital admissions as compared to the days just before the protests. Before that, many began "doing their own thing" going to parks and beaches because they thought all the precautions were hype. I am as appalled as any thinking human could be of the horrid events that led to the protests, but spreading an often fatal disease to masses of people is insanity. I wish I had the wisdom to address both issues simultaneously and wisely.

Which state are you in, tx?

I think it's obvious that people try to buy their way into heaven , of course we have no idea what sins they were considering when purchasing their ticket.

maddyone

FarNorth
I think it possible, but don’t know as a fact, that the type of situation your friend has described is probably typical of the ‘low level’ racism present in this and other countries. This is the most difficult to deal with, as it is not overtly racist. We have laws that protect people from racism, so it seems to me, I might be wrong, that this low level racism is what people experience in their everyday lives. Clearly rioting, injuring police officers and horses and so on will benefit no one, in my opinion. But how do we ensure that the small acts of racism that probably occur every day, how we ensure they don’t happen. Education obviously, but that takes time. What is the answer?

GrannyGravy
To answer your initial question, it seems clear that these large gatherings of people will spread Covid19. Let’s hope that’s wrong.

Annie
I remember the Keith Blakelock case. It was truly a most disgusting crime. The way that poor man died is truly horrific. And yes, I believe it was a racist crime.

maddyone your comment to FarNorth is an example of what I have been posting on various pages of this thread, that the disadvantages black people have are the everyday low level racist attitudes that white people never have to face ( in European countries or the US, NZ OZ Canada etc.)

Annie the Keith Blakelock case was truly barbaric.

So I think you’re agreeing with me lemon.

oldgimmer
You are indeed being disingenuous. FarNorth and Ladymuck have given examples of the type of racism that I was attempting to describe. I’m white, so I haven’t experienced it myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it exists. It does, I’m sure of that, but it’s the type of racism that will not hit the headlines, it will not be reflected in figures, but it exists. Do you find that too difficult to understand?

lemongrove - yes to your responses to the three earlier posts. I wont repeat, just say I agree and thank you.

Anniebach - I read your post about Keith Blacklock earlier, just before closing this lap top down to get on with things that needed getting on with. If I can respond belatedly, I remember this murder clearly. It's one of the most horrific attacks and murder of a police officer I recall during my life time. I recall at the time weeping in the knowledge of something of the horror this man experienced and knowing, it could have been my dad at any time during his career in the police service. It was definitely a hate crime, so yes, racist towards a young, white police officer.

I had a quick look online after Annie’s comment, because although I remembered the attack and murder of this young policeman, I couldn’t remember the details. I was horrified when I saw the injuries he suffered, they were truly appalling. Thank goodness your dad didn’t suffer such a terrible attack Iam. That attack must have traumatised his family for the rest of their lives when they heard how he had suffered.

Just seen the defaced statue of Queen Victoria in Leeds. Wonder who did that?