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.

BAME not more at risk of catching the virus just more at risk of dying from it if caught

Oh, that's fine then . Mass gatherings increase community transmission. More people will be infected. More people will die. And BAME people will be disproportionately represented.

People have a right to protest

People have a right to protest peacefully. Right now mass gatherings including protests harm other people, other people who have not chosen to protest. That makes them not ok at this time.

[quote BovaryX]@MexicanStyle

If you think demonstrations in London will make any difference to events in the US, where George Floyd was killed, you are delusional. As for the scenes of people attacking UK cops, chucking bottles? They are thugs. Violent thugs.[/quote]
Maybe not, but there is racism in the UK too, if you did not already know.

So over 40,000 people in the UK die of a virus and after someone is killed by police thousands of miles away people suddenly decide they want to protest about racism, Deeming it all of a sudden more important than observing social distancing and slowing down the pandemic, and in doing so put the NHS and thousands more lives at risk?Lots of virtue signalling bandwagon jumping at play here.
Yes the police in the US are racist
Yes it was shocking that he was killed and the way he was killed
But now is not the time
Surely these people have always thought the police are racist, it can’t have just dawned on them last week. Why have they not been out on the streets sooner?

People have a right to be concerned about the effect of the protest on the pandemic. People have a right to be upset about horses being injured. People have a right to express anger at the antisocial behaviour among the protesters.

But black people don’t have a right to be angry? Or do they have a right to be angry but they have to do it your way?

MNHQ need to step in because there is nothing constructive happening here! No one is listening to anyone else.

The horse was just one part of what's been mostly a peaceful protest. Always some twats that spoil it and get the headlines.

If only those of you frothing at the mouth about the protestors could get as riled up about human rights. Ffs, wake up!

Why do people throw things at police horses, a bike of all things, disgusting people.

@Betty98

People have a right to be concerned about the effect of the protest on the pandemic. People have a right to be upset about horses being injured. People have a right to express anger at the antisocial behaviour among the protesters.

But black people don’t have a right to be angry? Or do they have a right to be angry but they have to do it your way?

MNHQ need to step in because there is nothing constructive happening here! No one is listening to anyone else.

Of course they have the right to be angry, but they don't have the right to put thousands more at risk and overwhelm the NHS.

Those protesting are no different to the people flocking to the beaches and Cheltenham.

I was at the protest earlier. Pretty much everyone was wearing masks. The crowd was really young; I was like an auld ‘wan compared to them, at the grand old age of 37. I didn’t see any fighting or ructions at all; I joined at Parliament Sq then followed the march to the American Embassy, via Victoria (to protest the death of Belly Mujinga.)

It was great to see so many young people feel so passionately about something, coming together to fight for it.

I was shocked to see the very negative coverage on Sky, but I have noticed in the last 30mins they have massively dialled it back and have started being positive, especially about earlier in the day, which involves waaaay more people. Did someone complain? There was a massive shift in attitude, reporting wise, really suddenly.

@bonsaidragon Why should they care about the impact the protests will have on Covid - susceptible people when so many people ignore the systemic racism and oppression BAME people receive ffs

Perhaps because demonstrating en masse they will increase how this spreads in the general populaton and increase their own risk and the risk of other BAME people getting it - and with the increased danger of it being serious - and then they will be experiencing racism and discrimation as well as an increased risk of covid. I would not be unsurprised if the racism didn't increase if popularist papers stir the fan.

I daren't ask how we can change things because I'll just get abuse and told to check my privilege.

Whether it was your intention or not OP, the topic of this thread isn’t “what can we do to help combat racism” but rather “how inconvenient it is for black people to be angry during a pandemic”.

Their anger was sparked by a white man. Perhaps we should be saying “why would that white man spark such a movement during a pandemic”.

Could somebody please explain to me why it’s The Government, or the White population of this countries fault that this particular virus impacts BAME people to a more serious extent?

Were the people filling beaches and parks using violence and hurling things at the police.

Many of the protesters will be genuine, but many will be the normal rent a thug mob who gravitate to these type of protests.

Racism is appalling, but now is not the time for mass gatherings.

It’s possible to be upset by both. I’ve been horrified by the police brutality in the US but I also find videos of horses being attacked upsetting.

@MagicMoments6

Why should MNHQ step in.

People have a right to be concerned about the effect of the protest on the pandemic. People have a right to be upset about horses being injured. People have a right to express anger at the antisocial behaviour among the protesters. People are allowed to disagree with the whole thing, if their reasoning is that it is dangerous due to coronavirus.

Fuck off trying to stop people having their say just because they don't agree with you.

If this thread goes then it'll be the second I've seen removed because you lot don't want to hear people saying anything other than black lives matter, which they do, but that doesn't mean people need to die needlessly from coronavirus either.

Totally agree Post what we do Agree with everything we say or you are racist

I've been working around Oxford street for the last 20 years and have witnessed plenty of protest marches. Even dated a self proclaimed anarchist for short while. There have always been white young male trouble makers who love a bust up with the cops. They attend demos to cause trouble and engage in violence against cops. They are organised. It's pathetic. My ex date came from a very privileged background by the way.

I am a bit suspicious about the situation as there has been so much to cause tension, conflict and difficulty in Europe and the US in the last few years. Like there is growing instability.

I worry for the BAME protestors as they are allegedly more prone to worse CV19 outcomes.

I am all for challenging racism but I'm not sure that what we're seeing right now is doing much good.

MagicMoments6
Why should MNHQ step in.

Because if we don’t agree with the demonstrations then we are all racist didn’t you know? 🙄

It’s ridiculous that we can’t discuss this without people screaming for the post to be deleted.

Nearly all people there are peaceful and I suspect that some of the violent ones are not really arsed about BLM, but just want a chance to cause trouble.

It's probably unwise to gather in large crowds, though, I agree.

Of course they have the right to be angry, but they don't have the right to put thousands more at risk and overwhelm the NHS. I understand your point, I’m not being deliberately obtuse, but of course they have the right. They have the right until they do something illegal (which I appreciate some of them may have done, but the majority won’t have).

Betty98. Yes you have right to be angry.
We are however in the middle of a pandemic. The pandemic is more important At this time. I understand BLM unfortunately I feel your message is getting lost and people are angry at the protests. It** could cause more division in the end.

You can't get MN to step in if you don't like what you're being told. You agree or disagree as I do.

Agree Wilberforce1 - I agree this could have consequences for us all for a very long time.

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

It's also my choice to queue for IKEA, not bother with social distancing and go into my family's house because we don't care about getting the virus, yet I'd be absolutely rinsed for doing that because it's "killing other people" etc. But now it's fine?

@Pangur2 So you kept a safe distance at all times and didn't think once about spreading the virus to others of whatever race when you'd got home? It takes up to seven days to manifest so all the people you come into contact within the next week could be at risk.

Could somebody please explain to me why it’s The Government, or the White population of this countries fault that this particular virus impacts BAME people to a more serious extent?

Because it isn’t their ethnicity making them more vulnerable, it’s their lifestyle. Such as being in lower paid positions. Which is a result of generations of systematic racism.

'We can't eradicate the past, however much we'd like to, it seems like things will never change and I don't know how to change things except to challenge racism whenever I encounter it and I do that every time. I daren't ask how we can change things because I'll just get abuse and told to check my privilege.'

Exactly. I don't know anyone who wasn't horrified by George Floyd's murder, I don't know anyone who uses racial slurs or thinks that they are superior to BAME.

Lots of people are horrified by these protests because of the infection risk , it's so sickening after everything people have endured in lockdown. If asked what do you want we get '100 years of oppression' and 'I'm not here to educate you educate yourself'. I think it is because actually the UK is one of the most tolerant and diverse in the world and there isn't actually an answer to what the protestors want.

@HedgehogDramas

I have lost all my empathy with BAME. If they think that bleating on about how they are more susceptible to Covid19 than others and then they think it's fine to mass protest in the middle of a global pandemic and pass on the virus to others is just beyond me. These people will send their children back to school on Monday and then wonder why, in a couple of weeks, all the hard work done by the schools will be shot to pieces because they will all have to close again. It will be all over the news, when the second spike happens, that BAME want enquiries at to why their 'group' have been hit so hard by the virus. Look at what you are all doing and there is your answer. Fucking disgraceful and All Lives Matter - but the damage has now been done. And before I get attacked - yes all the morons that went to the beach are also included in my wrath and deep despair.

You've lost all your empathy with BAME... What on earth do you mean?!

[quote HedgehogDramas]@Pangur2 So you kept a safe distance at all times and didn't think once about spreading the virus to others of whatever race when you'd got home? It takes up to seven days to manifest so all the people you come into contact within the next week could be at risk.[/quote]
I assumed they were planning to go into solitary self isolation for 7 days now - otherwise they seem to be dangerously misinformed about the risks of covid.