Are the people protesting in London mad?

[JKD1982]

I agree that what happened in the USA is appalling but why would anyone risk their own health and go against all the social distancing rules to protest in London? It won’t make a difference to what’s happened and could cause another crisis in London hospitals because people catch COVID.

AIBU thinking they are mad and there is a better way (from a laptop?) to express anger

If you genuinely cared about racism

Well since you didn't answer my question asking if you were black, I'll assume you aren't.
How dare you preach to people of colour about racism? Racism cannot be experienced by the majority with power (i.e. whites) and I honestly couldn't give a shit what you think about that.
You better believe we are angry and the protests won't stop. Covid has no bearing on the centuries of racism endured by black people so I'll pick that battle after months of staying at home like we were asked.
Meanwhile your little bubble of white privilege goes on so you are utterly irrelevant. You are yet another meaningless blip of insignificance on a black person's radar.
Your attitude (and I'll bet entire being) is vile.

We are over being nice. We are over playing by the rules and frankly I care more about the impact of racism on black people than other risks right now so your griping about covid is meaningless to me.

Yes. My posts consistently going back months speaking out about the indirect racism involved in a policy pushing for easing of lockdown - but without the precautions other countries took. Enough PPE, mandatory masks for the public (medical issues excepted), fully set up test, track, and trace, border restrictions (as called for by Sadiq Khan).

Aren't you concerned about that? Few seem to be but perhaps you are.

This isn't an attack. I simply fail to see how a mass gathering during a pandemic helps fight racism? A mass gathering in a city with a large black population. When black people are four times more likely to die from Covid. Increasing that risk with mass gatherings helps how?

I’m not ignoring anything, changeitupagain, just pointing out there are significant socioeconomic and systemic oppression factors which are far better targets than accusing black people of practically committing genocide just for wanting to protest racism.

What do you want to achieve?
Ask the black people who organised and led the protest, since they are the target of your ire. And stop playing the victim - no one is “gaslighting” you just because they call out the untruths and agenda-pushing in your posts.

And stop banging on about “hundreds of thousands of deaths.” The death toll in England is 27,000. A shocking and appalling figure and one our incompetent, self serving and dishonest government should be held accountable for.

Blaming black people for “hundreds of thousands of deaths” just for attending one anti racism protest, when there were more people in parks and beaches yesterday than protesting, is an incredibly strange thing to do. If you want to blame someone blame the government and all the people breaking lockdown because they fancied a party or a trip to the seaside.

"Who should be stopping it? Are you lobbying the gov to stop easing the restrictions?"

A mixture of the police and the government. There should be legislative action to prevent this and give the police power to disperse without harm and also fine every single person breaking the current regulations, whatever their reason. Good reason still doesn't allow you to break the law, and in this case put others at risk, no matter how good and just that reason is.

No I'm not, I'm all for a measured and controlled easing of lockdown, with regular evaluation to see the effect it is having and what is/isn't working and therefore should/shouldn't be continued. Hundreds of people gathering is not measured, no matter what their reasons for gathering.

Aren't you concerned about that? Few seem to be but perhaps you are.

I’ve been posting, RL campaigning, and writing in the national press about this for weeks. I’m sure plenty of other BAME people who attended the protest have been concerned about this too. It was a subject that case up a few times today.

I simply fail to see how a mass gathering during a pandemic helps fight racism?
So black people shouldn’t protest in the way they choose because you don’t understand it? Why does everything have to be about you?

Why the issue in answering a perfectly reasonable question? A pretty strange and poor protest if you can't say your aim. What was the goal of today's mass gathering during a pandemic? Aside from risking spreading infection to vulnerable people.

@WhatwouldLangdo

"if you aren't black your opinion is irrelevant"

What about my opinion? I'm brown (mixed race).

Or does one oppressed race now get to marginalise others too?

but @changeitupagain that's not the governments prerogative, they want to increase mixing.

Oh for fuck’s sake. Now you’ve gone from “hundreds of thousands of deaths” to “MILLIONS of deaths”.

You really think one small protest in a small part of a city that by all accounts is handling COVID very well, seeing dropping infection rates and empty hospitals, will “KILL MILLIONS”?

This really is sheer unadulterated hysteria at this point.

Oh and I am severely disabled btw.

Saying something doesn't make it true frazzled.

@frazzledfatty

In a measured way, groups of 6 socially distanced.

Not in mass gatherings, some of which had no social distancing.

I agree that what happened in the USA is appalling but why would anyone risk their own health and go against all the social distancing rules to protest in London?

Do black people not face racism in the UK then? Particularly not from police officers?

I just think it's really disingenuous to accuse people who are protesting amongst a backdrop of increased mixing across the whole country of putting millions of lives at risk

Yesterday there was a thread with everyone desperately justifying how it’s fine to go to a shop and buy 1 bag of sweets weekly during lockdown.

If that’s worth risking your health & a spike of covid 19 in local hospitals, why the fuck wouldn’t standing up for black people be worth it?

@ToffeeYoghurt

I have no reason whatsoever to be remotely nice to you. Not sure why you'd assume I did? Especially after what you've said on this thread.

Of course it says lots of things about me, namely how I feel about people accusing black protesters of being wrong for standing up for themselves and trying to end their own oppression. Your posts have said a lot about you too, none of it remotely nice.

I am mixed race as well as disabled so have had more than my fair share of shitty treatment. I've mentioned both before under this username.

I've also never claimed to represent anyone and, frankly, don't care one bit if people are relieved about that or not.

I will be protesting. I am done making sure white people don't feel bad about shit that's their fault. I am angry at the treatment my family and I have received for as long as I can remember. I am acting now whether Covid is a risk or not. Think of that what you will.

@changeitupagain I think if the gov had a real issue with the mass gatherings over the last week we would have seen more draconian measures.

@frazzledfatty

Whoever said millions was over exaggerating, but definitely hundreds, possibly thousands. But even if, for arguments sake, it was only 100, or 50 or even 10, is it acceptable to directly put anymore lives in unnecessary risk?

is it acceptable to directly put anymore lives in unnecessary risk?

Oh so that isn’t what is happening to black people worldwide on a daily basis then?

I never said it wasn't. But in what world is it right to protest the lives of one group being risked by putting the lives of another group at risk?

@WhatWouldLangDo

Care to answer my earlier question?

'@WhatwouldLangdo

"if you aren't black your opinion is irrelevant"

What about my opinion? I'm brown (mixed race).

Or does one oppressed race now get to marginalise others too?'

You've answered other posts since this so are clearly ignoring it.