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.

Conflicted about this. The protest in Edinburgh for example appeared to be dignified and powerful and followed the rules, partly because Scots appear to be sticking by their 5 miles from home travel restrictions. The English rules on contrast are all over the place.

@BovaryX

Wasn’t the footage of bikes and missiles being thrown at police horses from a few years ago and simply a cynical attempt by the media and rabid right-wingers to poison us all against the protesters?

*sarcasm on

@AllesAusLiebe

Nope. But hey. Maybe it was a vast right wing conspiracy that caused the cop to break her ribs, collar bone and collapse her lung. Or maybe, as has been suggested, she just decided to charge into traffic lights. For fun.

YABU. The reason we women have the vote today isn't because the suffragettes protested peacefully.

Agreed. Women’s suffrage came about because of the role women played in WW1. They took over ‘men’s’ jobs and kept the country running, working in factories, driving buses and farm labourers.

This peaceful support of their country in unprecedented times had a far greater effect on women’s rights than a few chaining themselves to railings or being trampled by a horse.

A lesson there perhaps?

I wasn’t referring to Papatron's post.

Some people are honestly just terrified at the idea white supremacy might be under threat

I think some people are just terrified of any protest that might lead to a change in the status quo, tbh. It doesn't matter if it's ending racism or introducing measures to reduce global warming, they seem to find the very concept of democratic protest problematic.

@ChocolatelyAsFuck

Er, you quoted it. And totally missed its point.

It is beyond disgraceful but it's important to point out that these protests now are nothing to do with George Floyd.

It's youth protesting because they're bored and full of angst. Young people need to be active and have had enough of lockdown. Not all of them have strict parents to keep them under control.

Some people think George Floyd isn’t the ‘right’ kind of ‘figurehead’ for the BLM protests.

Some people think a minority of troublemakers ‘ruin’ the protests and thus negate the point of the protests.

Some people think protesting is okay but not right now, or not about this, or not like this, or not by these particular protesters, or not until there is nothing else in the world we ought to be concerned about.

Makes it kind of hard to protest, doesn’t it?

The guy who defaced the cenotaph 10 years ago was Bryan ferry’s son Otis, I seem to remember - linked to the Occupy protests.

Er, you quoted it. And totally missed its point.

No, I didn’t miss its point.

It’s pretty obvious that I quoted it in order to agree with it, and that the remainder of my post was taking the piss out of a number of the most frequently used arguments and talking points that racists use to defend racism and attack anti-racism.

Mea culpa, @BovaryX. I had only seen footage taken from the opposite side of the road, and the bike throwing couldn't be seen from that angle.

Same here I'm disgusted and beyond angry in some ways now this violence and destroying of property is going beyond what this protest was about.

Also I'm now sat here waiting to see the rate of infection increase all over the UK and for us all to be told those of us including myself that have stuck to the rules that we will have even longer of a wait now to see family and be able to hug them.

In wales we have the 5 miles only which isn't any good for me when my family live 200 miles away my in-laws 100 odd miles away.

There was protesting in our local area I just can't believe the stupidity of some it's like everyone's forgotten about this deadly virus that's already taken so many peoples lives if all lives matter then surely stay home don't risk innocent peoples lives these people need to give themselves a good head wobble when it's reported in the news of an increase of deaths after these protests

@pissedoffandawake they always use horses with large gatherings go to your local football match and you will see them most weeks
The behaviour of some was disgusting it is not ok to throw things and be violent , protesting peacefully as most did is absolutely fine but damaging war memorials is not and acting violent is not , it detracts from what everyone is there for
My local town has a protest granted not huge but it was done peacefully with social distancing and people really listened

Why arent the police letting people climb on the cenotaph and try and set fire to the flags? Should start arresting people who go to protests to be violent.

@AMileInMyShoes you only have to look at how mainstream media has weaponised the term thug and used this against black people whilst similar stories referring to white people have not referred to individuals involved as thugs.

Watch the video.

It's okay, there were 12 whole arrests, what a joke. Aren't people angry that the lingering imagine will (wrongly) be those posted on social media of people throwing stuff at police? Laughing and cheering when the officer came off of her horse? Chucking stuff? Throwing flares and fireworks? Grafitting the cenotaph? When the vast majority were peaceful and actually waking the world up to want to learn more and how to invoke actual change? Why aren't people furious? If someone says they are more angry about the treatment of people by police, that's missing the point.

It is beyond disgraceful but it's important to point out that these protests now are nothing to do with George Floyd

George Floyd's killing highlighted in the most extreme and public way the everyday struggle for justice that people of colour face in societies where the white population dominates all social, political and judicial structures.

As such, it's become a catalyst and brought to the fore the need for change. And it's long overdue imo.

Mea culpa, @BovaryX. I had only seen footage taken from the opposite side of the road, and the bike throwing couldn't be seen from that angle

@LakieLady Thank you for acknowledging that.