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?

OP, you obviously havent watched the videos of what happened in London. It turned into a rioting mob, baying for the blood of the police. Journalists were chased and had they not got away, I'm sure theyd have been set upon. Peaceful protest it was not. Not social distancing, just a mob.

Been watching Fox news or reading the daily mail? Get on Twitter and see what really happened, boomer.

The phrase 'virtue signalling' is abhorrent to me

I don't care. The act of virtue signalling is abhorrent to me.

What really happened?

@TabbyMumz

OP, you obviously havent watched the videos of what happened in London. It turned into a rioting mob, baying for the blood of the police. Journalists were chased and had they not got away, I'm sure theyd have been set upon. Peaceful protest it was not. Not social distancing, just a mob.

Weird how no one else has seen that.

Marches and protests gave you the right to vote.

You might like to note that the majority of suffrage protest activity was halted for the duration of WW1 - i.e. in the face of greater danger.

"Weird how no one else has seen that."
You obviously werentvthere SimonJT. Just go on YouTube....its there for all to see. They were all booing the police and shouting obscenities etc...anyway you can see for yourself, there was definately an undercurrent of troublemakers.

At 7pm it turned violent in London. A protestor threw a bike at a police horse which hurt the horse, knocked the police person to the ground - I thikn injured, the horse bolted off and hurt someone innocent - never ever throw bikes at horses. Who would do that?

"Been watching Fox news or reading the daily mail? Get on Twitter and see what really happened, boomer."
Akissandasmile...dont know about foxnews, I'm in the UK..its on every news channel and all over YouTube. Why are you calling me "boomer"?

"At 7pm it turned violent in London. A protestor threw a bike at a police horse which hurt the horse, knocked the police person to the ground - I thikn injured, the horse bolted off and hurt someone innocent - never ever throw bikes at horses. Who would do that?"

That was just a small part of it.. they were throwing bottles at the police for half an hour, then charging through the barriers, chanting and fighting. But it had turned nasty long before that, it had been brewing for ages.

@TabbyMumz

"Weird how no one else has seen that." You obviously werentvthere SimonJT. Just go on YouTube....its there for all to see. They were all booing the police and shouting obscenities etc...anyway you can see for yourself, there was definately an undercurrent of troublemakers.

I’ve been there twice today (PS). Oh no, booing and swearing, how awful. If thats a rioting baying mob then we must have rioting everyday in the UK.

I could understand and agreed with the first protest, but these subsequent protests are not responsible in view of the Pandemic which affects us BAME people more severely.

I caught the virus just before lockdown and nearly 3 months later I'm still experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing if I exert myself too much (i.e. attempt to exert myself to the level I did before) or get tired. I know two people who have nearly died both also black, one has been in hospital for 2 months and is still there.

George Floyd doesn't need to take more people with him.

@SimonJT there has been a lot of hyperbole on Twitter and no actual footage that shows exactly what happened. Protestors maintain that the police kettled them and wouldn’t let them leave. The police I’m sure have a different version of events.

All I know is that for the time I was there it was a peaceful and respectful process. We had a chat to two very lovely police officers who were thankful that everyone was wearing masks, as it meant they didn’t need to.

I’m not sure what happened at the end, but will be watching with interest.

Simonjt no matter how hard you try you cant make out nothing happened. It's there in video for all to see your be mad to try and cover that up. It was awful, not a silent protest at all. It was a baying, angry mob.

Someone definitely threw a bike at a horse
Shame on them
Majority of protest peacefully and powerful

Breaks my heart what they’re doing to those poor horses, and to the innocent police officers too. I couldn’t feel more strongly about BLM but this isn’t right, and I know it’s not representative of the majority but it’s painful to see.

The one thing I will say is that I don’t believe the negativity at the end undermines the point of the protest or the peaceful protest of the thousands of people who attended today.

The many hours of peaceful protest will of course be forgotten about as 30 minutes of tension are focussed on by the right-wing press in attempt to discredit the point of the protest.

"Protestors maintain that the police kettled them and wouldn’t let them leave. The police I’m sure have a different version of events."
You can clearly see on video that's not the case. The police were protecting downing street and the protestors pushed the barriers in at them and fought with them. The police earlier were going into the crowd chatting to them, then they stood round the cenotaph and the crowd started to get abusive. There was an undercurrent.

@TabbyMumz

Simonjt no matter how hard you try you cant make out nothing happened. It's there in video for all to see your be mad to try and cover that up. It was awful, not a silent protest at all. It was a baying, angry mob.

You clearly have no seen an actual angry baying mob if you think that is an angry baying mob.

Really hope the focus doesnt become about those incidents now. The reasoning behind these protests shouldn't get lost...but you can imagine some headlines now..

What idoit throws a bike at a horse?! That could've ended so badly.

It was a female police officer
Horse unhurt thankfully
Hopefully the small group of troublemakers will be made unwelcome
No one needs them
The message must be heard

And police officer ok too thankfully
No one wants anyone to be hurt

The violence really upsets me because it was just what the right wing press in this country were waiting for, and the idiots gave it to them.

It doesn't matter that it was just a few. It doesn't matter that sensible people will understand that it was just a few.

What matters is the narrative, and those who control the narrative are rubbing their hands in glee that finally they have been given evidence to support the confirmation bias of those who fear what greater equality looks like, and thus 'justified' their reasons to fear.

It's shame it didn't stop at the first protest. I think it was bound to happen that as the momentum built, people not really there for anything but their own grievences would behave like idiots, not thinking of the greater objective (which I don't think has been clarified well either. Greater clarity might have helped) I think it was inevitable that it would be highjacked like this.