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.

I don't understand halogens point.

Fully aware of the likely reaction to this, but the butcher's apron can be burned all day long and I wouldn't blink an eye.
It's a symbol of a despicable empire that only exists due to the looting that white people did to entire countries.
Not every British person is proud of this legacy and I won't tar everyone with the same brush so it's not a personal attack but the legacy of the empire is sickening.

Churchill was also a vile racist and deserves to be remembered as such, as does every other person who had a hand in the space trade that built Britain's wealth.

The racists reveal their ignorance, hate and fear quickly when confronted by their diminishing support. The winds of change are blowing. They know this, they feel it as certainly as we do. They can see we will not give up, they can see our white friends standing side by side with us, they see the strength before them kneeling. They know this is equality charging through their barriers and deep down they know they are on the wrong side of history as we start a new, glorious chapter. If only they could understand, that everyone is welcome.

@BristolProud

If you don't write already, you should.

Times like these, we find a voice. For everyone who has challenged the racism and rhetoric that feeds it, we chorus together. We are a loud resonating orchestra with a harmony that evokes the best of our humanity.

I was watching the funeral earlier, on and off.

I had said to the kids, this feels like a pivotal moment, some change may actually happen. That having this on TV is a really unusual thing. That I was going to watch out of respect to the dead man and his family. How must it feel, not just to lose a brother/ father/ uncle/ child. Not just to hear that the police did it. But to see that video. Of him being murdered like that. So we should watch and think.

Anyway then DH came down and immediately said oh it's this can we put something else on

I find the apathy around. Well lots of things. Really depressing.

You definitely should right- how you have articulated that is beautiful- I’m going to share on My Facebook Page if u don’t mind? I’ll reference Bristol proud

@BristolProud

@Clavinova Ah, the old 'register to vote' line. Meanwhile you conveniently ignore the massive amounts of voter suppression in the US that mainly affect minority voters. There is literally an investigation going on in Georgia right now due to their voter suppression techniques.

Cute idea though.

You're very welcome to use whatever words ring true for you @Advice79.

ShinyFootball Whilst what happened was truly horrendous. Rioting and protesting don’t really do much and at some point people get sick and tired of seeing the same thing on the news and apathy sets in and everything returns to the status quo.

We only have to look at Brexit. Millions of people protested. Trying to get on a tube was a nightmare. Roads were blocked. Did it do anything? No
We didn’t get another vote
We are still leaving the EU
All those people’s time wasted. For what? A nice day out on London

ER what was that all about apart from annoying people trying to get somewhere

Protesting gets you nowhere
Rioting makes people annoyed
Looting and tearing down and defacing statues just puts people’s backs up
Violence means people who might have had sympathy and supported the cause turn to the other side

Change happens when the establishment wants it to happen and it happens behind closed doors not on the street.

@ShinyFootball, your children saw an example of that change in front of them as you explained the significance of George Floyd's funeral. Let them also see the strength of your courage to challenge your partner. Hold your household to the highest
standards of equality. This is the change that needs to happen, within our homes, between our loved ones, our family, or friends. Your beliefs are powerful when amplified, when brought to your lips, when spoken out loud and without apology. But they are a poor comfort when silenced by fear. Find your courage, know that when you stand up, you stand up held by all those doing the same, you are part of the change. Let your children see this magnificance of changing the world. Our children must not be explaining to theirs why people are still protesting against racism.

@Oliversmumsarmy

Please try not to confuse protests with rioting; they are obviously completely different. As before, 137,500 people peacefully protested in UK over weekend, only 135 arrests ( so 0.01% ).

As for "protests get you nowhere", have a look at the: Suffragests, Civil Rights movement, anti Apartheid protesters, Gay rights etc etc ( btw, Suffrage movement included smashing thousands of windows,
violent action etc. ).

motherheroic
"Clavinova. Ah, the old 'register to vote' line. Meanwhile you conveniently ignore the massive amounts of voter suppression in the US that mainly affect minority voters.There is literally an investigation going on in Georgia right now due to their voter suppression techniques."
"Cute idea though."

It's not a 'cute idea' - it came directly from the Mayor of Atlanta's speech - which I linked to yesterday morning;

"Bottoms [Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms] said she herself is a mother to four black children in America, so she understands the anger and frustration, but urged people to make real change at the polls--not with violence in the streets."

“If you want change in America, go and register to vote.Show up at the polls on June 9. Do it in November.That is the change we need in this country,” she said."

www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/city-we-are-better-than-this-atlanta-mayor-police-chief-talk-about-protests/SBIGPF36QVDRVKXCJTFCCTHL5E/

Clavinova, let's ask ourselves what we will do today to stand up against racism? Go beyond repeating a call to register to vote, find the courage to tell us all what you will do personally to promote equality?

YankeeinKingArthursCourt

I wasn’t trying to confuse rioting and protesting.

Most don’t really get anywhere.
As I said before change only happens when the establishment want it to happen.

Ultimately though how many protests/riots have there been and how many got what they wanted.

Maybe I am being cynical, why don’t we see protests and people blocking roads and camping out in the middle of Oxford Circus on a cold rainy day in November

Last summer it was ER

Before that it was Brexit

Next summer it will be something else

Whilst I think what happened was horrific i think the protests have turned violent even by only a small number of people and that is what people see. What people will take away from this.
The message is in danger of being lost.

Oliversmumsarmy

Isn't protesting about making the establishment "want it to happen"? If it becomes a mainstream pain in the arse to them, just maybe they will make it a priority and DO SOMETHING.

It's the height of apathy if you wait for the establishment to act. I'm not a political animal, but even I can see that throughout history changes only happen when people make it something that is talked about and publicised.

Couldn't care less about the annoyed and people with their backs up. They need to get over themselves. It's just property. People are dying. Which is worth really caring about?

Protests count when we praise those brave 99%. Yes, 99% of people united together and standing strong with peaceful resolve and restraint. They count when we say thank you, thank you for saying loudly this this is wrong and I support you with all my heart. Thank you for not sitting silently and complicitly. Our children deserve a better world. For those who did not protest, who could not protest, you are still part of this change when you praise and support those 99% of people. Oliversmumsarmy, will you help make this protest against racism count, will you say thank you to those 99%?

@Clavinova Yes, and? They all spout off the same lines and then look the other way when voter suppression is happening. Time for a new tactic.

@Oliversmumsarmy....not cynical at all. Riots invariably happen when it's hot. One summer it was so damn hot in london (I was just visiting) I said to my son c'mon let's go before something kicks off ....and so we did...and it did. ..
So the heat combined with weeks of 'lockdown' and a corrupt and venal government was......a recipe for a riot really.

Destroyedpeople, it ain't that hot here! But voices are hoarse from saying "this is not right". Join with oliversmumsarmy, clavinova, support those 99% peacefully strong, praise them, amplify that voice, say thank you.

will you help make this protest against racism count, will you say thank you to those 99%

Are 99% of people protesting.

Are you saying that 99% of the country are wanting to quash racism. I would have thought with that percentage racism wasn’t an issue.

Or does the 99% refer to some other group of people

I think Bristol was saying 99% of protesters were peaceful and that they should be supported. 99% of the population wanting racism to end? Doubt it.

Oliversmumsarmy 99% of protestors, did so peacefully. This proportion came from the figures released by the home secretary. It's a really important proportion, to realise so many protested peacefully so few took to violence. Say thank you, it spreads such positivity and support against racism.

@Oliversmumsarmy
You wrote "Rioting and protesting don't really do much" , so you did conflate the two. You are welcome to expand on how they are different of course.

If you look at the history of social movements, you will see that protesting AND marches AND petitions AND voting AND policy reform etc have all been a part of the movement. It doesn't need to be an either/ or scenario. All of these actions are important parts of social movements.