| George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofGeorge Floyd protests | |||
 Protests atHyde Park, London, 3 June 2020 | |||
| Date | 28 May 2020 – 21 June 2020 (3 weeks and 3 days) | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by |
| ||
| Goals |
| ||
| Methods | Protests,demonstrations,civil disobedience,sit-ins,die-ins,internet activism | ||
| Parties | |||
| Casualties | |||
| Injuries | 27+ | ||
| Arrested | 135+[2] | ||
Protests were held across theUnited Kingdom following themurder of George Floyd, a 46-year-oldAfrican-American man, by a police officer in theUnited States on 25 May 2020. Immediately following his murder,protests and riots occurred in dozens of cities across the United States.Protests were staged internationally for the first time on 28 May, with a solidarity demonstration outside theUnited States Embassy in London. They took place during theUK COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Large protests were held across the United Kingdom, particularly inBirmingham,Liverpool,London,Manchester, andNewcastle. Many protests were organised by theBlack Lives Matter (BLM) andStand Up to Racism movements. As well as providing solidarity to protests in the United States, many of the ongoing protests in the United Kingdom highlighted issues with racism faced fromlaw enforcement in the United Kingdom and in daily life.[1]
Many protests received endorsement and support from local councils and politicians,[who?] including in Liverpool andOxford.[4] The majority of protests in the United Kingdom were peaceful, although notable clashes between protesters and police occurred on multiple occasions in central London. There were also notable cases of vandalism of historical statues, including graffiti sprayed on the plinth of thestatue ofWinston Churchill inParliament Square.[5] InBristol, protesterstoppled astatue of 17th-centuryslave traderEdward Colston from its pedestal and then pushed it into the harbour on 7 June.[6] Subsequently, theMayor of LondonSadiq Khan established theCommission for Diversity in the Public Realm in order to investigate whether statues on display in London were still suitable for the modern-day. The George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom were the largest outside the United States.[7]
The protests took place at a time in theCOVID-19 pandemic during which there were restrictions on public gatherings. As measured byCOVID-19 death toll, the United Kingdom was at the time the third-worst affected country globally. During the period of the protests in May and June, public gatherings were legally limited to a maximum of six people, all separated by 2 metres (6.6 ft),[8] although police forces tolerated the majority of protests despite the restrictions outlawing them. Many protests attempted to followsocial distancing, and some handed out masks and gloves to attendees, although there were still concerns that the protests could lead to a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom.[7]
The first solidarity protests in the United Kingdom occurred in London on 28 May 2020. More than 20 participants gathered outside theUS Embassy on Nine Elms Lane inBattersea withBlack Lives Matter andStand Up to Racism banners.[9]
Dozens of people attended avigil held at theFree Derry Corner inDerry on 29 May. Protesters gathered at the historic site in theBogside neighbourhood carrying signs, flags and candles. The protest was attended by localSocial Democratic and Labour Party councillor Mary Durkan, who described the action as "short, simple and above all else powerful".Graffiti stating "I can't breathe" was added to the existing graffiti wall around the back of Free Derry Corner.[10]
Hundreds of protesters gathered and marched through streets inPeckham in south-east London on 30 May to protest against police brutality.[11][12]
31 May marked the first day of large and widespread protests across the United Kingdom.
InBelfast, over 100 people gathered for a solidarity vigil organised by theConnolly Youth Movement held at Writers' Square.[13]
Hundreds of protesters gathered peacefully outsideCardiff Castle inCardiff. Local figures gave speeches to the assembled crowd, who attempted to maintainsocial distancing.[14]
In Liverpool, hundreds of people gathered outsideSt George's Hall. Protesters listened to speeches by the leaders of the rally before kneeling for8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time taken to kill George Floyd.[15]
In London, thousands of people protested inTrafalgar Square and outside theUnited States Embassy. TheMetropolitan Police had a special policing plan in place for the protest due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and arrested five people outside the embassy: three for violating COVID-19 restrictions and two forassaulting a police officer.[12] During the march from Trafalgar Square to the embassy, four young black men outsideBattersea Park railway station climbed on top of a bus stop,took the knee, andraised a fist, which the crowd subsequently copied.[12]
In Manchester, hundreds of protesters marched through the city centre toSt Ann's Square, where a rally was held.[16] Protesters were additionally influenced by an incident betweenGreater Manchester Police officers and Desmond Mombeyarara on 9 May, in which Mombeyarara wastasered by police in front of his young child; footage of the incident at aStretford petrol station subsequently went viral.[17][16]
InSwansea, a socially distanced Black Lives Matter protest organised by "Stand Up To Racism Swansea" on Museum Green.[18]
InBelfast, around 100 people attended a protest atBelfast City Hall. Multiple rallies were held in the city centre, calling for the state ofMinnesota to "raise the degree", i.e. raise officerDerek Chauvin's murder charge fromthird-degree tosecond-degree. The main protest rally was officially rescheduled to 3 June by the organisers due to concerns about a lack of black representation amongst protest leaders, although many people proceeded to gather at the assigned place and time on 1 June anyway.[19]
Hundreds of people gathered inThe Square, Lower Gardens and outside of the town hall inBournemouth. The protests remained peaceful, withDorset Police confirming that no arrests were made. Protest organiser William Wren stated that "the issues in Britain are different but our society has a structure very similar to the US", and that British people "have a responsibility" to show solidarity with protests in America. As well as George Floyd, protesters paid respect toAhmaud Arbery and other high-profile recent black American killings.[20]
InCoventry, around 300 people attended a protest rally starting at the city's central police station before marching back into the city centre.West Midlands Police confirmed that they would work with organisers to ensure the protests in the area remained safe and peaceful. Concurrent smaller protests took place across theWest Midlands.[21]
Liverpool City Council lit up all of the city's buildings in purple during the evening of 2 June to show solidarity with the protest movement and in honour of Floyd.Mayor of LiverpoolJoe Anderson tweeted that "our city has always stood up for justice" and that "Liverpool will stand with you [the protesters] and Minneapolis".[15]
Similarly,Leeds City Council andWakefield Council lit up their civic buildings in purple.[22][23]
A large demonstration took place inHyde Park in central London, attended by hundreds of people. Aerial photos of the protest showed that the participants were largely adhering tosocial distancing rules, and the Metropolitan Police allowed the protest to progress without incident. ActorJohn Boyega attended the protest and gave a notable speech, calling out police in the United States over the murder of George Floyd, and the deaths ofTrayvon Martin,Sandra Bland and others, as well as police in the United Kingdom over their handling of theStephen Lawrence case in 1993.[24] Demonstrators subsequently left the park and blocked traffic onPark Lane around 15:00, stopping at least tendouble-decker buses before being moved along. A stencil drawing of George Floyd's face appeared on a plinth atSpeakers' Corner.[24]
Clashes erupted later in the evening as part of the protest group advanced further into central London on their way toParliament Square. Protesters climbed onto windowsills on the walls of theHM Treasury building, spraying Black Lives Matter graffiti on the Treasury and surrounding buildings. At least 13 people were arrested after violent clashes broke out outside the gates toDowning Street, where tensions boiled over as the crowd had gathered to chant atPrime MinisterBoris Johnson. Signs, temporary fencing, and bottles were thrown over the gates, and groups of protesters attempted to breach them. The Downing Street gates are ordinarily guarded by armed police, although these officers did not take part in the clashes.[citation needed] Further violence erupted after police officers were seen throwing a black protester against a metal railing while attempting to make an arrest.[citation needed][25]
InBrighton, more than 1,000 demonstrators took part in a protest march through the city centre. Protesters gathered in the churchyard ofSt Nicholas Church before marching to the main central police station in Brighton. Protesters were demanding justice for George Floyd and chanted that the British law enforcement system was also systematically racist. Police subsequently moved the protest along from the police station toThe Level, where demonstrators gathered in a circle and gave impromptu speeches about their own experiences of racism.Sussex Police confirmed that one arrest had been made at the protest, and warned that large gatherings were still illegal underCOVID-19 restrictions and that future protests would be dispersed.[26][27]
Along the coast inSouthampton, approximately 500 demonstrators gathered at the city'sGuildhall; many wore gloves and masks to protect themselves fromCOVID-19, however, social distancing was observed to falter as the protest went on. Protesters called for justice forBelly Mujinga, a railway ticket office worker atLondon Victoria station, who died from COVID-19 on 5 April 2020 several days after being racially attacked by a man who falsely claimed to have tested positive for the virus; police at the time stated that they would not be investigating Mujinga's death. In solidarity with the protests,Southampton City Council lit up city buildings in purple.[28]
Hundreds of people gathered inSouth Park inOxford for a protest which was backed byLayla Moran,Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for theOxford West and Abingdon constituency, despite her being unable to attend the protest in person. The protest was relocated fromBonn Square to South Park in order to encouragesocial distancing, due to a higher than expected turnout.Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown confirmed that the council stood in solidarity with the protest.[29]
InEdinburgh, around 50–60 people gathered briefly inParliament Square and outsideSt Giles' Cathedral to protest, with manytaking a knee for George Floyd. Social distancing measures were observed and most people wore masks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event was organised byStand Up to Racism.[30]
Protests were held inYork,Leeds andSheffield. A socially distanced vigil forGeorge Floyd was held outsideYork Minster by YorkStand Up To Racism.[31]
Around 4,000 people took part in a protest march in centralBirmingham. Protesters gathered inCentenary Square outside theLibrary of Birmingham around 16:00 and subsequently marched to the front of theWest Midlands Police headquarters,Lloyd House. The protest was originally organised forVictoria Square, but was relocated due to the high turnout in order to allow forsocial distancing to be observed. The crowds were reported to have remained peaceful, and no arrests were made. The Birmingham protest was organised by the UK Isn't Innocent group, aimed at exposing racism and police brutality in the United Kingdom as well as the United States. FootballerTyrone Mings, who plays for the local teamAston Villa, joined the protest march; he was the victim of high-profile racial abuse while playing for theEngland national team in Bulgaria in 2019.[32]
More than 500 people attended a protest inRoyal Leamington Spa. The protest march proceeded peacefully from theRoyal Pump Room Gardens down theParade.[33] Around 500 people attended a peaceful protest in the centre ofLincoln, marching from the High Street, up Steep Hill and ending in front ofLincoln Cathedral. Once there, the crowd gathered to listen to speeches from members of the black Lincoln community, andtook a knee in solidarity for8 minutes and 46 seconds. Water and masks were handed out by the protest organisers.[34]
Approximately 300 people gathered for a demonstration inBarnstaple, organised by three local black/mixed girls who claimed that racism was "more prevalent" in rural areas likeDevon compared to major cities. Protest organisers marked crosses onto the ground in Barnstaple Square with chalk in order to facilitate social distancing. Towards the end of the protest, demonstrators staged adie-in in the square.[35] Hundreds of people peacefully protested inQueen Victoria Square in the centre ofKingston upon Hull, where protest organisers also marked the ground with chalk to aid social distancing. Protesters in Hull took a knee in honour of Floyd and other victims of racism in the United States.[36]
Hundreds of people gathered inGuildhall Square inPortsmouth for aBlack Lives Matter demonstration, where protesters criticised the localHampshire Constabulary for their previous track record on racism.[37] InNew Alresford, nearWinchester, around 100 people gathered on Broad Street for another Black Lives Matter protest, holding placards andtaking a knee.[38] Around 20 demonstrators gathered outside of theWillis Museum inBasingstoke for a solidarity protest.[39] InNewport on theIsle of Wight, a large group of protesters gathered to protest against racism in the United Kingdom, kneeling for nine minutes in honour of George Floyd.[40][41]
InStaines-upon-Thames, a gathering of over 100 demonstrators convened outsideSpelthorne Borough Council offices to show solidarity with local black communities.[42]
A protest took place inEastrop Park inBasingstoke on 5 June, which was attended by hundreds of people.[39]
InScotland, a petition to renameGlasgow streets named afterTobacco Lords who ownedslave plantations in America andJamaica received almost 8000 signatures.[43]
The protest in central London was the largest of the week. One of the Black Lives Matter organisers had toldThe Guardian that they had expected about 20,000, but it seemed several times that had turned up. Protests outside Downing Street started peacefully but later turned violent after a group started throwing bottles. 14 police officers were injured during the clashes, and 14 protesters were arrested.[44][45] The initials "BLM" were daubed in black paint onThe Cenotaph war memorial. Graffiti was sprayed on a number ofWhitehall buildings, including that of theCabinet Office.[46]
A protest in Manchester was joined by about 15,000 people.[47] Over 1,000 people attended a protest organised by Black Lives Matter atDevonshire Green inSheffieldcity centre. The protest was endorsed by local political groups including theHeeleyLabour Party and the leader ofSheffield City Council,Julie Dore.[48][49] The Sheffield protest was livestreamed on social media for people who were unable to attend due toCOVID-19 restrictions, as Sheffield was the worst affected British city by the pandemic outside London.[50]
An estimated 1,200 attended a Black Lives Matter protest inBath, a city with a population of about 90,000.[51] The organisers were not expecting so many to attend. The protest was peaceful throughout with free masks being handed out on arrival, with social distancing measures being followed. InGuildford, a town in South East England with a population of about 80,000, hundreds of people attended a march through the town centre.[52] According to theLeicester Black Lives MatterInstagram account, over 4000 people turned up to a protest in the city.[53] The demonstration remained peaceful, with minimal police presence, andsocial distancing was enforced by the organisers throughout the event. The city's Mayor and police force spoke in support of the event.[54] Additional protests occurred inKingston upon Thames,[55]Luton,[56]Salisbury,[57]Watford,[58]Aylesbury,[59]Exeter,[60]Swindon,[61]Worthing,[62]Royal Tunbridge Wells,[63]Peterborough,[64]Ipswich,[65]Southend-on-Sea,[66] Roundwood Park inWembley,[67]Newington Green,[68]Stevenage,[69]Cambridge,[70] andChatham, Kent.[71]
A protest also took place inMilton Keynes, where a demonstration began atMilton Keynes central railway station at noon[72] before marching to theMilton Keynes Council offices (which had been lit purple during previous nights in a show of solidarity)[73] and then to theThames Valley Police Station in Milton Keynes, where several police officers took a knee.[74] Around 2,000 protesters gathered inBute Park inCardiff.[75] Protesters took a knee during an hour-long demonstration outside the war memorial inBangor, Gwynedd, organised by the North Wales African Society.
In Glasgow, anti-racism campaigners have symbolically renamed streets long named after slave traders and Tobacco Lords by affixing their own signs under the original street signs.
InNorthern Ireland, protests of varying sizes occurred inBelfast (less than 500),Derry (around 1000), andNewry (a small crowd that dispersed quickly). The Police Service of Northern Ireland issued a large number of citations for social distancing violations.[78][79]
InNewcastle-upon-Tyne, an estimated 3,000 people gathered underGrey's Monument in support of the Black Lives Matter movement with a further 2,800 people tuned into an online protest with speeches from the likes of Newcastle Central MP,Chi Onwurah and Shumel Rahman.[80] Protesters marched from the monument, down Grainger Street, pastNewcastle Central Station and finished in Newcastle's Centre for Life and marched back up to Grey's Monument via Clayton Street after listening to community leaders speak on racism in the United Kingdom and a moments silence for George Floyd. On the same day, an opposing protest organised by theEnglish Defence League was on Newcastle's streets.
Crowds gathered in theWelsh cities ofDenbigh,Bangor,Swansea,Caerphilly[81] andCardiff. Hundreds marched fromBute Park toSenedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) inCardiff Bay.[82]
Tens of thousands of people protested across the UK, in cities and towns that includedBognor Regis,[83]Bury St Edmunds,[84] Cardiff,Carlisle,[85]Chester,[86] Coventry,Dumfries,[87] Glasgow,Hastings,[88] Liverpool, London,Lytham St Annes,[89] Manchester,Merthyr Tydfil,[90]Middlesbrough,[91]Newcastle,[92]Nottingham,[93] Oxford,Sheffield,[94]Weymouth,[95]Woking,[96]Wolverhampton,[97][98]Wrexham,[99] andYeovil.[100]
In London, BLM protesters clashed with police.[101] A protester was seen climbing ontoThe Cenotaph war memorial and attempted to set theUnion Jack on fire.[102] The words "was a racist" were painted onto a statue ofSir Winston Churchill. TheMetropolitan Police said that a further 12 were arrested in central London for public order offences.[5][102] As a response to these events, right-wing activist and convicted criminalTommy Robinson announced a counter-protest for 13 June to protect both the Churchill statue and the Cenotaph from further vandalism.[103] Multiple copycat protests also sprung up around the UK, many by veterans, to stop the vandalism of war memorials.[citation needed]
A statue of the 17th-century slave traderEdward Colston was toppled and defaced inBristol. One protester placed his knee on the statue's neck, recalling Floyd's murder by asphyxiation by a white policeman.[104][105] A crowd of at least 5,000 people marched from Bristol'sCollege Green toThe Centre where they tore down the statue, dragged and dumped it intoBristol Harbour.[106][107] The empty plinth was used as a stage for protesters.[6] In thesubsequent criminal proceedings four people were charged withcriminal damage butacquitted by a jury after a trial in January 2022.
Other protests:
Protests continued in various locations, including several hundred people inCheltenham[118] andBedford.[119]
A crowd of protesters in Oxford gathered outsideOriel College, demanding that the statue ofCecil Rhodes be removed.[120] Protesters fell silent for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in the memory of George Floyd.Protests continued elsewhere in the country, including inBarking, London.[121]
Hundreds took part in Black Lives Matter protests inDouglas, Isle of Man[122] and inHenley-on-Thames.[123]
InJersey, more than a thousand people attended a George Floyd protest in People's Park.[124] That night a statue ofSir George Carteret was defaced with paint in solidarity with the recent events inBristol due to Carteret's involvement as a slave trader for theRoyal African Company.[125]
InNewport, Wales, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched from the city's civic centre to theUniversity of South Wales in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.[126]
Around 1,000 people gathered inSt Albans[127] where a local resident claimed the city had 'never seen anything like this'. InStratford-upon-Avon, an estimated 600 people attended a protest.[128]
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An official Black Lives Matter protest was cancelled in London due to concerns that it could be countered by far-right groups after right-wing activist movement theDemocratic Football Lads Alliance had called for people to travel to London to protect monuments.[129] Hundreds of counter-protesters – including members of far-right groups – gathered at several statue sites in London, and violently clashed with the police, leading to over a hundred arrests and six injured police officers.[130] Prior to this, the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was completely covered by the government in order to protect it from being defaced, and several other memorials partially covered.[131]
During the afternoon, a protest took place in Brighton.[132] In Newcastle, counter-protesters hurled smoke bombs, bottles, flares and fireworks at Black Lives Matter protesters andNorthumbria Police officers resulting in 13 arrests and 5 Black Lives Matter protesters being hospitalised.[133] Hundreds of people participated in a protest march in Aberdeen.[134] InChelmsford, hundreds of people attended a protest in the city's Central Park.[135] Protests also occurred inCanterbury,[136]Chichester,[137]Slough,[138]Gloucester,[139]Harrow, London,[140]Northampton,[141]King's Lynn,[142]Marlow, Buckinghamshire,[143]Bishop's Stortford,[144] andCroydon.[145]
InShetland, "several hundred people" took part in a socially-distanced protest in many locations in the islands. Posters were widely distributed for the protest featuring the slogan "Shetland staands wi [Shetland dialect: stands with] Black Lives Matter".[146]
InSwansea, several dozen protesters took part in a peaceful demonstration at Swansea Memorial Park.[147]
A peaceful protest took place atLeeds'Millennium Square organised by Black Voices Matter, a group including Black Lives Matter Leeds and other black-led organisations from the city.[148] A group of veterans, alongside some football supporters groups potentially linked with far-right politics, gathered in Victoria Gardens to protect the war memorial; beer was thrown at a journalist.[149]
Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, joined Black Lives Matter protesters in London, where he incited a crowd on Westminster Bridge to deliver a "summer of discontent" and unite against the BBC, Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan.[150]A protest additionally took place inAbingdon-on-Thames.[151]
Hundreds assembled inTruro,[152] where there was a small clash with a group of counter-protesters who claimed they were there to protect a memorial.
Foreign SecretaryDominic Raab is criticised for saying during a radio interview thattaking the knee is a "symbol of subjugation and subordination" apparently taken from the TV seriesGame of Thrones.[153][154][155][156]
Protests took place inAshby-de-la-Zouch,[157]Chippenham[158] Coventry,[159] Glasgow,[160] London,[159]Lydney,[159] Newcastle[159] and Reading.[161]
A second peaceful protest took place onLeeds'Woodhouse Moor, organised by Black Lives Matter Leeds, calling for an end to systemic racism.[162]
Protesters defaced thestatue ofWinston Churchill in London'sParliament Square andQueen Victoria's statue inLeeds.[163][164] Graffiti on the plinth of Churchill's statue referred to him as "racist", alluding to his controversialracial views.[5][better source needed] BLM activists in London demanded the removal of 60 statues of historical figures like Prime MinistersCharles Grey andWilliam Gladstone, Vice-AdmiralHoratio Nelson, SirFrancis Drake, KingCharles II of England,Oliver Cromwell,Cecil Rhodes andChristopher Columbus.[165][166]
On 5 June, a group of protesters sprayed the abbreviation "ACAB", meaningAll Cops Are Bastards, on thememorial toEarl Haig inWhitehall, London; when soldiers from theHousehold Cavalry in plain clothes scrubbed the graffiti off, protesters shouted abuse at them for doing so.[167]
Thestatue of Edward Colston inThe Centre,Bristol was toppled and thrown intoBristol Harbour on 7 June.[168] On the same day, a protester climbed ontoThe Cenotaph in London and unsuccessfully attempted to set fire to theUnion Flag.[169]
On 7 June, thestatue of Mahatma Gandhi in London was sprayed by Black Lives Matter protesters with the word "Racist".[170]
Some local councils in England decided to rename public streets or places in response to the movement.Watford Borough Council announced a review into its town street names in July 2020.[171]
The Colston Hall concert hall inBristol was officially renamedBristol Beacon in September 2020. The hall was originally named after a 17th-century slave trader,Edward Colston.[172]
Since December 2020, Havelock Road,Southall has been renamedGuru Nanak Road. It was named after colonial generalSir Henry Havelock who was known for his involvement in theAfghan–Sikh Wars and theIndian Rebellion of 1857. The local MP,Virendra Sharma, had been campaigning since 1992 for a name change and said Havelock was a "colonial oppressor, he ravaged India and her people for personal gain and imperial glory".[173][174]
Opposition parties in theHouse of Commons, includingLabour and theScottish National Party, called onPrime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend the export ofriot shields,tear gas and other equipment to theUnited States on 2 June. An open letter was sent to the Prime Minister by LabourMPEmily Thornberry, theShadow Secretary of State for International Trade, calling the continued supply of riot control equipment to US law enforcement a "disgrace".[175] Johnson responded stating that he would look into any concerns but insisted that exports are subject to "consolidated guidance" to ensure they were not misused, and that the UK is the most "scrupulous country in the world in that regard".[176] The letter was signed by 166 MPs from across all parties in the Commons by 5 June.[177] A petition calling for the suspension of export of riot control equipment has gained more than 500,000 signatures as of 6 June.
At the daily Downing Street COVID-19 press conference on 3 June, Boris Johnson stated that he was "appalled and sickened" by themurder of George Floyd. Johnson said that people had the democratic right to protest, but he "urge[d] people to protest peacefully, and in accordance with the rules on social distancing" before concluding that racism "has no place" in society.[178]
On 8 June,Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a statement toThe Voice in which he stated "I will not support or indulge those who break the law, or attack the police, or desecrate public monuments. We have a democracy in this country. If you want to change the urban landscape, you can stand for election, or vote for someone who will."[179] Johnson said that demonstrations were "subverted by thuggery".[180] Statements also came from several cabinet members, includingPriti Patel, who claimed that "lawless minority of protesters" had "regrettably turned to violence".[181]
On 9 June, Mayor of LondonSadiq Khan said that he believed statues and plaques in London with links to slavery "should be taken down", and established theCommission for Diversity in the Public Realm to do so.[182] Thestatue of Robert Milligan, who was largely responsible for the construction of theWest India Docks, was removed on the same day that Khan announced the commission.[183]
The petition entitled “Remove the Gandhi Statue in Leicester’ allegesMahatma Gandhi, the leader ofIndia's independence movement against theBritish rule, was a racist and sexual predator. British Labour Party politicianKeith Vaz said that "dreadful" petition "seeks to divide communities in Leicester and in the country. If this is not withdrawn I will certainly refer it to the police to consider whether it incites racial hatred".[184]
In reaction to the protests, thechief constables of multiple police forces across the United Kingdom released the following joint statement on 3 June:[29]
In the UK we have a long established tradition ofpolicing by consent, working in communities to prevent crime and solve problems. Officers are trained to use force proportionately, lawfully and only when absolutely necessary. We strive to continuously learn and improve. We will tackle bias, racism or discrimination wherever we find it. Policing is complex and challenging and sometimes we fall short. When we do, we are not afraid to shine a light on injustices or to be held to account. We know people want to make their voices heard. The right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, which UK police uphold and facilitate. Butcoronavirus remains a deadly disease and there are stillrestrictions in place to prevent its spread, which includes not gathering outside in groups of more than six people. So for whatever reason people want to come together, we ask that people continue to work with officers at this challenging time.
Avon and Somerset Police allowed theStatue of Edward Colston to be toppled on 7 June, a decision which caused public backlash. They later justified this, stating that they had made a "tactical decision" not to intervene, citing concerns that intervention could have led to further violence.[185] However, in thesubsequent criminal proceedings four people were charged withcriminal damage butacquitted by a jury after a trial.
There were widespread concerns that the protests across the country could lead to a second wave ofCOVID-19 cases, just as the United Kingdom was beginning to ease lockdown restrictions, despite calls from protest organisers for attendees to maintainsocial distancing and wear masks and gloves to protests. Some protests were able to maintain adequate social distancing, although aerial photography of larger gatherings showed that social distancing often broke down as protests progressed.
Government and police officials across the devolved nations urged the public to avoid protests due to COVID-19 concerns.[186][187] On 5 June, the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of theMetropolitan Police, Laurence Taylor, described protests across the United Kingdom as "unlawful" due to health protection regulations.[188] During the dailyDowning Street COVID-19 press conference on the same day, theSecretary of State for Health and Social Care,Matt Hancock, said that he was "appalled" by themurder of George Floyd but urged people not to attend planned protests over the following weekend.[189] However, his comments were largely ignored by the public as protests went ahead as planned.
ScottishCabinet Secretary for JusticeHumza Yousaf said: "And we do know there is a lot of evidence of the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 can have on the minority ethnic community. So the very people whose lives we say matter are the very lives that those people could be putting at risk. So yes, it does give me a great deal of concern."[190]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)According to the BBC, one person was seen with their knee on the statue's neck in reference to the fatal arrest of George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis inspired protests across the globe.
Red paint was splashed on Colston's face and a protester put his knee to the statue's neck to recall how Floyd -- an unarmed African American -- was asphyxiated by a white policeman in the US city of Minneapolis last month.
