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.

nousernamehistory but do you really not care what any white people have to say? About anything? Whoever they are? Even your white relatives? Have we become so irrelevant to you that you dismiss every white person on the planet? And if so, how will this help race relations?

@Nousernamehistory So are you saying that you're experiences have now caused you to be prejudiced against white people? Just so we are clear.

I don’t think many of us are in the position to say whether what the protesters are doing is wrong or not because we haven’t experienced what many of them have. We will never understand the anger and the pain many of the people protesting have felt because we have benefited from white privilege all our life. We will never know that pain of being oppressed because of the colour of our skin. We will never be treated any differently because we happen to be born or have ancestors from a different part of the world. We are incredibly lucky. A lot of the protesters haven’t had that luck.

The systemic racism in our system has destroyed more lives than COVID-19 ever will.

@caringcarer do you seriously believe this is just about George Floyd. The police have been charged so everything is ok in the lives of black people now. George Floyd is actually the final straw for many black people. Years and years of abuse and inequality and unfair justice systems has built up to this. They are angry and rightly so

@callmeadoctor

That poor police person, just out doing their job. How horrific it must be for their family, knowing the risks that they are taking..............

Clap for the NHS should become clap for the police. They're key workers who are risking life and limb even more at the minute while getting screamed at by the likes of bored students and furloughed workers.

@MexicanStyle
Isn't their first duty to their own community?

Our society is paralysed by lockdown, cancer treatment suspended, domestic abuse through the roof. Kids have missed months of education. People are pulling out their own teeth out with pliers.

However strongly people feel about police brutality, out priority is to get the infection rate down. It's risen in the West Country, a fortnight after the beaches were crowded with trippers, and now this. People are insane.

“couldn’t care less what white people have to say”

Seems people are choosing not to understand this in the context.
Replying things like "I'm a doctor so you wouldn't listen to me about anything then?" are so insulting. Why can't people understand the anger of injustice, even if they haven't suffered that injustice themselves?

To me, it seems like the government's utter uselessness is a massive factor in the protests due to the lack of faith that appropriate action will be taken on just about anything. Cummings was just one tipping point. Others are the patent lies that we are being told about the handling of the crisis, ignoring the science while claiming to be slaves to it, the PPE, BAME covid death rates, testing, Track and Trace, the late lockdown, the early easing...I'm sure I've left a few out.
Black people are not the only ones angry. But they absolutely do have more to be angry about.

As a white person, I couldn't imagine ever thinking that 'my first duty is to the white community'? Like, ever.

@gypsywater I did not put the word 'white' in my post, I meant the community is Britain of which we are all a part, but whatever.

@jackdawdawn

What I don't understand is why something that happened in America is having such an impact here. It seems crazy to try and compare US police brutality and use of chokeholds etc, with what our own police do. It's just not the same.

These protests are going to go down like a cup of cold sick in the eyes of the UK majority. Totally the wrong time. And unfortunately seeing pictures of war memorials defaced etc, really isn't going to help anyone's cause (even if the majority of protests were peaceful).

As a white person, I couldn't imagine ever thinking that 'my first duty is to the white community'? Like, ever.

Sadly many do.

I'm sure I saw a study someone did in America where they should a room full of people who they were related to, and how closely they were related to all different races. It made those people feel different to those races than they did before. Probably need to start doing something like that, to show people that they are actually related to other races.

These threads tonight are so telling. They really show up people’s lack of empathy with other people who are suffering. This is not about police brutality it’s about police murder. If you are held by the police and die at their hands it’s murder. Black people die at the hands of police in the U.K. if you don’t know this you’ve been living under a rock. People have the right to protest. We don’t have to wear masks outside many protesters are though and most are peaceful. Like any protests tempers will flare, especially when you are tackling a problem like the institutional racism that leads to people being murdered by the very people who are there to protect life. This isn’t a problem black people have. It’s a problem society has that black people are victims of. If people can legally choose to protest and want to exercise that right so be it. If there is a rise in cases after the next few weeks I’m sure it must only be down to them and not down at all to the VE Day celebrations, the beach crowds, the outdoor drinking sessions, the schools going back or the house parties... no no.

@Truthpact Sure, but not nice to see similar sentiment on here from a poster, and it kinda makes it hard to take seriously what else they are saying...

@Mintychoc1

Please stop seeking oppression. You know as well as I do that my point was about white people's opinion of racism. I wouldn't expect a doctor would need it spelling out..
I am not dismissive of all white people in all scenarios but honestly, white people have never experienced racism so their 'advice to the black community on how to deal with racism is very irrelevant to me. Sorry about any egos dented there 🤷🏽‍♀️
Plenty of white people have been good allies but I've not seen much of that on here. Maybe the anonymity makes people feel safe to share their true feelings.
The racism comes from white people so that's where the solution has to come from. The state of race relations is not our problem to solve.

@gypsywater

My experiences have taught me to expect prejudice because of the colour of my skin. I've met many white people who dislike our mere presence and white people who believe they are exempt from racism because they "have black friends".
My negative experiences have all been from white people. Realistic expectations aren't the same as prejudice.

What I don't understand is why something that happened in America is having such an impact here. It seems crazy to try and compare US police brutality and use of chokeholds etc, with what our own police do. It's just not the same

I agree. If George Floyd had been British - or French or Australian or whatever - I suspect very few in America would even have noticed, let alone taken to the streets to protest.

It’s their decision to protest - they’ve obviously decided that protesting for change outweighs the risk of covid.

They can protest all they like ut they don't have the 'right' to put the lives of others at risk by their actions.

@Nouse Rightyo.

I agree. If George Floyd had been British - or French or Australian or whatever - I suspect very few in America would even have noticed, let alone taken to the streets to protest.

It wouldn't even have been reported had it happened outside the USA, nothing outside their own shores matters much.

@Twillow

Wilful blindness is rife. Imagine your only ability to contribute was twisting the words of people who've got a lifetime of experience of the very thing you're trying to discredit. Hope to Christ they never do try and give me medical advice 🤦🏽‍♀️

@happinessischocolate

I never said it was ok. Stop trying to put words into my mouth.

nousernamehistory the blatant hatred of white people expressed on some threads at the moment is pretty upsetting for those of us who are not racist. I know this isn’t about my feelings, that’s not relevant in this context. But I am shocked, truly shocked, that so many black people apparently hate me because of the colour of my skin. I never knew.

People have a right to protest.

You have zero right to attack people, throw flares at them, throw bikes at them etc. You become an animal when you do that, it's disgusting behaviour. Doing so does not make you better than anyone. Really, you're only justifying what the bad police officers think, that they need to use brute force against people. You are giving them the arguments to continue doing it. You're no better than them!

Protest about it, great, get better treatment for other races. Do it peacefully, do not use violence. Its so stupid.

Careful @Minty, dont be "insulting" now, you arrogant doctor, you...

Handy timing if you need a scapegoat.