To be utterly disgusted by the protests today.

[SoggySocksAgain]

Am I alone here?

I am utterly disgusted by what I have seen in the news.

They haven't done themselves any favours at all and have shown disrespect to this country and will find that disrespect returned to them.

People of Colour being disrespected? Like that will be a new thing for them.

Sometimes, maybe once in a generation, things get shaken up. The Stonewall riots did that for gay people and were a catalyst for huge - and much needed - change. I hope recent events and Blck Lives Matter does the same.

I’m disgusted by the protest, not the time nor place with the virus about, but also understand the urgency and why maybe the matter can’t wait.

What’s appalling is the riot behaviour and the pulling down of a statue, how anyone can think that’s the right thing to do is beyond words, the man was front and centre in slave trade, but it’s our history, white and blacks history of England, history is how we look back and learn from our mistakes to do better going forward!

Taking away all bad history and leaving only the ‘pretty’ is stupid and surly goes against what the protesters want? If they want to erase all of our ugly and nasty mistakes, leaving only the perfect and good, then more fool them!

Oh fuck off Snowdown - how can you think that it wasn't the right thing to do when even the Chief of police made a decision to allow it to happen. Even he understood the reason.

The police.

It's always the same though, when the hard left turn up they just want to hit the police and vandalise stuff. Having said that, even though toppling the statue was vandalism, I support it. It does belong in a museum where it can be put into context as the shameful history it is, not in pride of place in the street as a badge of honour. All the money to pay for it was from slavery.

The way some of you go on about Churchill youd think he single handedly defeat the Third Reich

The union flag isnt nicknamed the butchers apron for nothing and theres something almost unhealthy about how some people regard it, it doesnt represent us all

when the hard left turn up they just want to hit the police and vandalise stuff.

What evidence was there of it being 'hard' left?

history is how we look back and learn from our mistakes to do better going forward!

Commemorating a people - as a PP said, mainly women and children - trafficker is grossly offensive. Do you honestly think we need a statue of a people traffickers in the middle of a major city centre to learn that slavery is bad?

I’m not condoning violence; personally, I’d have had it melted down and the materials or proceeds of the sale used for charity, but it’s done now, and good riddance to the fucking thing.

@Snowdown24...what total nonsense. Did you learn about the Atlantic slave trade in school history lessons? No of course you didn't. Our history lessons may have touched upon Wilberforce and how great the brits'were.
Until relatively recently the reason for our lovely stately homes and general rich country hasn't even been touched on. So let's have no more specious talk of 'airbrushing' history' because that has already been done. And has led to statue destruction.

I don't know anyone who's ever had any racist feelings until now but after burning the Union Jack flag and pulling down the statue and causing such antisocial behaviour I've never seen so many people's opinions on them turn.

Really?

"The way some of you go on about Churchill youd think he single handedly defeat the Third Reich"
Well, it was pretty much down to him. The PM before him wanted to submit defeat and let the Germans take us over. Think you need to read up on a bit of history...or even watch the recent film about it.

Who made that film?
A different historical construction of Churchill is that he was warmongering and working behind the scenes to destabilise a pacifist government and took over when the opportunity arose because he was a murdering psychopath who had already ordered the gassing of millions of Indians.
Just a suggestion.

Who writes the history books anyway? We all got brainwashed about Churchill.

If you're thinking more about what happened on the protests than WHY thousands of people came out to protest against racism, you are part of the problem. Everyone who has taken the time to comment on this thread, whatever your point of view, really owes it to humanity to watch this eloquent and passionate explaination from Kimberly Jones of the 'why' not the 'what':

"You're lucky we're seeking equality and not revenge".

the way some of you go on about Churchill youd think he single handedly defeat the Third Reich

To be fair, in the first two years of the war, he was the only remaining bulwark against the Reich in Europe.

Without Churchill, forces in the Tory Party would have cut a deal with Hitler for peace, and we would have probably become a Nazi vassal state eventually.

The way some of you go on about Churchill youd think he single handedly defeat the Third Reich

Well, it was pretty much down to him

Erm, no. Just no.

Maybe read a book.

Taking away all bad history and leaving only the ‘pretty’ is stupid and surly goes against what the protesters want? If they want to erase all of our ugly and nasty mistakes, leaving only the perfect and good, then more fool them

I'm so glad you are in full support of including the slave trade and the real reasons we abolished it (,economic not at all driven by humanity,) and how the British raped, looted, killed and stole from their colonies right up to the 90s in our school curriculum. After all we should know all the bits about our history and exactly how we got our tremendous wealth.

Also since we are really incensed about "physical history" I know you definitely support returning all the stolen artefacts in private collections and museums back to their countries as well as the jewels and gold in our crown jewels and CJR's trust to the countries his wealth was stolen from

Yes and the koh I nor diamond should be returned to the Punjab.

80s not 90s sorry

Also it would be lovely to remember they were African and Asian soldiers who fought both world wars as they were British (that pesky Enpire again) at the time but their sacrifice is lovingly airbrushed out of the history books. Windrush and the government's invitation to British subjects (yes at that time) in overseas colonies to help the British economy should also be included.

I certainly agree it's wrong to airbrush history and only include the bits we like to see to suit our agenda.

"Smilethoyourheartisbreaking

Actually Tabby we would have been fucked without the US. Read some history books."

Are you American by any chance? The Americans only got involved because of Pearl Harnour, much later on. Churchill got us to fight in the first place. As I've said, the PM before him wanted to just give in. Long before the US got involved.

Or perhaps Chamberlain was a visionary man of peace who was ousted by the profitable war machine. ...who knows...we certainly don't.