Attending BLM protests?

[ALifeDesign]

I am wondering if anyone has attended today or planning to go to any of the protests being organised around the country this weekend.

I am debating going tomorrow. I would maintain social distancing and wear a mask. In ordinary times I would be there without a second's thought but these aren't ordinary times.

Some photos from today on Twitter look well organised, distanced etc.

I wfh and live with one other person - currently furloughed - who would also be at the protest, so I feel we are low risk of spreading.

I'm still a bit torn. So I suppose AIBU to attend?

I went to one. Wore masks and gloves. Social distance was really good. Definitely no worse than just walking around a local park. No violence. Lots of strength of feeling about ongoing prejudice, inequality and racism. Mostly stewarded by volunteers so didn’t take from police resources.
Protest is an important part of democracy and important to make our voices heard.

Do you not get that there are some things more important than fear of death?
Agree!

I am from the BAME community

Are you really? Most people I know from that 'community' don't describe themselves as such. That's a title white people have given us.

BLM.. then stay the Fuck home.

Do you not get that there are some things more important than fear of death?
Agree!

But this isn't about an individual putting themselves at risk - this is about it spreading and people who have not made that choice feeling the repercussions. If we were only worried about individuals kids would still be at school because they are at virtually no risk.

If you want to put your life in the line that's your call - but this is putting the lives of others in the line and that's not on

I'm pretty upset that I wasn't able to go but I'm in London and the crowds were insane. As I'm sheilding I know i would have been crazy to go but I really wanted to show my support.

simon gimme
Actually in broadcasting BAME people are well represented statistically. However that is only in certain areas e.g sports and music broadcasting and not in areas of management etc.

simon yes a real problem. I was having that conversation with my mum today. She suggested that all applications should be submitted without names. Not a bad idea.

2 of the 4 most important posts in the government are held by BAME politicians. The conservatives recently had a black chairman. It’s getting better.

I can only assume/hope that these things will improve. I’m not sure when the lowest achieving mantle became working class white boys but perhaps only in the last decade or so.

But actually this conversation is irrelevant.
I don’t want to argue about what the protestors are protesting about as they have many legitimate concerns and it’s good that more people are aware of the issues.
It’s not good that thousands are ignoring the lockdown and risking countless lives.

Britain is like the honeybadger. Honeybadger don't give a fuck.

mexicanstyle
But they are putting their own families lives at risk and in London that of nurses, transport workers etc who are often black or from an ethnic minority.

I follow a vair fashionable mid tier Instagrammer who is quite notorious for 'speaking her mind' - very ANTI-TORY etc - who has been very vocal about BLM for the last few days. To be fair, she hasn't just posted a black square, she has put loads of resources out there, and has also always been very keen on diversity and including BAME voices when it comes to her charity work, which she is also well known for as well.

However, she has also been very vocal I recent weeks about the importance of staying at home, social distancing, posting pictures of people in her local area not distancing properly etc.

She has been unusually quiet on SM today and I wondering if her head is exploding right now!

I wouldn't go even if there wasn't a pandemic. Not my kind of thing. I don't need an excuse.

Why should BAME people care that they’re putting people’s lives at risk when Britain doesn’t care that they have been oppressing us for hundreds of years

Although if there's a second spike, and I really hope there isn't, then it will be BAME people and their families who will suffer most.

mexican
Yes so campaign online etc for the moment.
People have been listening/ learning since the initial incident. It doesn’t need thousands breaking the law and lockdown at the moment.

@Smileyaxolotl1

conkergame Black teenagers are significantly more likely to be killed by other black teenagers than by white teenagers or police though.

Black men are far more likely to be stabbed to death by a BAME civilian in the UK than killed by a police officer.

Protests for BLM in the UK (we aren't in America where the policing can be terrible) should be about knife crime if anything.

mexicanstyle
If they want to be martyrs that’s up to them but thousands may die for their selfish decisions.

@MexicanStyle

But that's you making assumptions about the families. I doubt they would want to die of COVID-19 before their time, especially when they're simply doing the job they do every day.

Maybe some of them are happy to be martyrs. But there will be others who have lives they want to live and don't want to die of COVID-19.

mexican
How unreasonable of us to challenge your view that it’s fine for loads of innocent people to die because people want to protest.

@tianalia and maybe they’re happy with that because they don’t fear death and don’t mind becoming martyrs

Clearly not. Which would be fine if it was just the people there making that decision for themselves, but its pretty shit to make that decision for the families they bring it back to.

@Tianalia

Can’t help thinking lockdown fatigue and the excuse to break it whilst feeling virtuous is a factor, for some.

It's certainly part of it.

It's a day out and a chance to socialise and the police gave the streets to let them.