Omg the scenes from the London protests

[SistemaAddict]

I'm just watching the news and am finding it so frightening to see the crowds, the police, the tension, the horse bolting.
I understand the desire to protest but how is this the right way to do things? I know there will be thousands of peaceful protesters among the ones causing trouble.
I'm concerned about the covid risk to everyone there especially as BAME are more at risk of the virus.

I hate confrontation and get very anxious so wanted to chat to others about this. Yes, I could switch off but I think it's important to watch and learn and understand what and why is happening.

@curtainsforme

have been to PS today, once this afternoon, then later on for my run. I have several friends who have also been there today, one who works as a BBC broadcaster. No riots. Just protestors.

Protesters attacking police? Attacking police horses? Yeah. Sure. No riots in London. Nothing to see there, move on people

A police officer being hit a bike being thrown does not make a riot, if it did we would have a riot every single day in the UK.

Horrible scenes. The bolted horse footage is difficult to watch. Utter chaos.

I shall put my tinfoil hat on and say that it is an interesting timing for such 'race riots'. There has been a disproportionate number of deaths of BAME people from coronavirus and here we see mass gatherings of BAME people and mostly lefty protesters. These gathering will put the lives of BAME people (and lefties) at immediate risk. I find this sinister, especially bearing in mind the slogan 'black lives matter'.

Seeing that the killing of George Floyd happened in Trumps' America I wouldn't be entirely surprised if this wasn't orchestrated to distract from Trump's abysmal failure to deal effectively with Covid and just about everything else.

**london not Lisbon , stupid phone

and then there might be protests about lockdown (which I'm surprised haven't happened anyway, but that's another debate).

Actually there have been, and people got arrested at those (including Jeremy Corbyn's brother) for not social distancing! Seems ironic now.

Previous thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a3928225-london-demonstrations?msgid=97162535#97162535

The message I took from that thread, and now from this one, is that if you are concerned about the COVID risk, you are racist.

@snowballer

That's always the case with riots, always a small contingency of agitators, who feign support for a cause.

If you look closely enough on SM and even here on MN you'll find a similar contingency feigning fear of covid, saying 'I've lost all my empathy for BAME, they'll send their kids to school to spread their.... to us....!

Same old!

Sorry - I used the phrase 'worthy cause' earlier and it was totally the wrong phrase. Trying to type angrily while feeding a baby does not make for coherence. Other posters have made the point far better than I could have done.

A police officer being hit a bike being thrown does not make a riot, if it did we would have a riot every single day in the UK.

I didn't say that it did. People are rioting though. I'm not sure why you can be so determined to say it's not happening. It is.

The twitter clips of the police office falling from their horse then people cheering is sickening and others trying to throw things at the other horses. Many will have lost any empathy.

Are we allowed to comment on the defacement of Churchill's statue on DDay fgs or will that mean I need to educate myself?

Look at this disgusting hypocrisy.....non BAME people feeling scared for like what all of a few hours after seeing the profesfs of people they feel are going to cause a second wave....BAME have been living fear since the say they were born you cannot even cope for a few hours, days or months unfucking believable...go check yourselves.

As for thugs, every protest gets hijacked with activists and anarchists there for a different agenda and to continue to perpetuate the idea that black people are bad people look at the violence etc. Open you eyes and minds that the media is complicit in pushing these ideals so unless your there in person to see what's going on or unedited footage how do you know what really happened.

People have been going to the beach and parks weeks before these protests and no second wave has happened and they werent social distancing either.

White people telling black people to stay quiet and at home, the irony in that.

Also if BAME are so more at risk why haven't they been given more protection if they are working on the frontline? Institutional racism perhaps?

@mexican style

What's the right way to protest then ?

Maybe not throwing bicycles at innocent horses ?????

@curtainsforme

A police officer being hit a bike being thrown does not make a riot, if it did we would have a riot every single day in the UK.

I didn't say that it did. People are rioting though. I'm not sure why you can be so determined to say it's not happening. It is.

They’re really not rioting, if you’re so convinced London has riots right now why have you failed to show anyone?

@MaxingMoon

I have no real idea why people are protesting in London. Its something that happened in the United States. I think alot of it is knee-jerk, virtue-signalling, anti-Trumpism. A stage army. Plus they're ignoring Coronovirus rules - because in their mind it simply doesn't apply to them of course, only other people! I think they're imbeciles.

How about going and educating yourself about why they are protesting before calling people names on MN maybe.

Up to last week we were all on our doorsteps clapping for the NHS and whooping for our frontline workers who put themselves in danger and carried on to keep the country going in lockdown. Police are frontline workers too. They have had to deal with people shouting abuse, being aggressive, getting in their faces coughing and spitting saying they have COVID. Now they are out there trying to police peoples right to protest safely albeit during a global pandemic and they get bottles and bikes hurled at them but still they are the bad guys.

@ghostoffrankgrimes the people queuing for flat pack furniture and burgers aren't causing anyone any harm are they ??

I wonder if BAME people are dying disproportionately from covid 19 because of racism. Because their health care is less good because of racism. Because they are more likely to live in poverty because of racism. To me it seems even more poignant that people feel so angry they are willing to protest during a pandemic. It's basically saying that they are willing to die for the cause. And I fear that many will. I fear that we are loving in a pressure cooker and it has only just begun. I don't disagree with the protests

What about the elderly and vulnerable? And HCPs in the NHS? Zero shits given there?

Why should BAME people prioritise those people over their own communities?

I just worry that the people the demonstrators are supporting are the people who have had the highest percentage of people dying from Covid19!! Also a slap in the face for all the people who have adhered to social distancing! Am thinking that friends and family of these people who died would agree.

Yes they would - trappedsincesundaymorn.

@Backintime absolutely spot on

@BeijingBikini I think he only got arrested after several time's though and they weren't well attended

You all seem to have more empathy for this horse than those lives lost to racist people in powers of position. Yes its sad that a horse got hurt (but then again how many of you are happy for pigs and cows to be slaughtered for you to eat? Hypocrisy anyone?)

Yes there is a pandemic but racism has been going on for many of your life times and its showing.

Let them be angry. Let them shout for change. Racism is not only an American problem. You are upset that you are going to be worried about catching a virus that may kill you for a little bit longer than you liked? Well how about feeling like that your whole life. Yes many are losing income due to this but what about spending your whole life being over looked for jobs purely because of the colour of your skin.

Are we allowed to comment on the defacement of Churchill's statue

Well Churchill was well known for being a racist.

The OP has stated this is about protests. It could be a protest about women's equality lgbt Ot even climate change! It is all important but we have to get through this crisis first! Why? Alll lives matter!!