Is it just white people who object to the protests?

[malificent7]

I am white...i support the protests...several of my white friends are horrified by them. Are any non whites against them and if so why?
Aibu to feel that the incensed are scared of loosing their white priveledge or feelings of supremacy?

If there is an increase in cases/the lockdown is extended, guess who is going to get blamed?

Hopefully the people packing out the beaches, or even HCPs who kept valiantly working and putting themselves at risk (the really dangerous transmission rates have overwhelmingly been in hospitals and care homes).

By the time these protests took place, lockdown was incrementally ending and the R rate was down almost everywhere, unfortunately excepting the north west and south west.

If blame is placed exclusively on the BLM protests, it will be clear to see what kind of prejudice is driving that misconception.

I support the right to protest, but I think the current timing in the middle of a pandemic (in which we are performing very badly!) is terrible. I can't get beyond the irony of the fact that black people are more at risk of the virus and also make up a large % of healthcare, hospital and care workers, so these protests risk disproportionately harming black people .

I have a black friend who is a nurse in a London hospital and she was in tears on the phone to me, saying she was just so upset after watching the news, that she is already exhausted and they have been openly told that the protests are going to 'set us back' several weeks in terms of controlling the virus in London and other major cities. .

Imo there is vandalism and "vandalism" Smashing windows and throwing rocks= bad. Dismantling statues of slavers= fine. Scrawling BLM on the cenotaph...hardly the end of the world and yes I am grateful for the sacrifices made during the war.

@Glowcat

It’s difficult to filter out those who are genuinely concerned about the risks of mass gatherings because of Covid-19.

It is telling that many of the same people who claim that the police shouldn’t be judged as a whole for the actions of a few individual officers are quick to label protesters as a group as thugs for the actions of a few individuals.

I think because people were already angry at seeing the images and videos of the swarm of people in London, during a pandemic, when they've followed the rules for 3 months; it then doesn't need much to further that anger by anti social disorder. In ordinary times it wouldn't cause the same consternation.

However, attacking animals or defacing things like Centoaph and Churchill statue will always go down terribly with most Brits. Our whole national identity and self esteem in a way is still fashioned in the war (and a nation of animal lovers) , so it will always rile people more than anything, especially older folk.

I am in support of protests.

The main objections I have heard are only around vandelism and social distancing.

I have seen pictures of some fantastic protests which are totally peaceful and socially distanced, if they were all like this I think that there would be far more support.

But I have not heard many, if any that are against the cause of BLM personally.

I think let them protest however in london the gangs are predominantly black males so protests in London may be more susceptible to violence through turf wars etc

Gwenhwyfar - where were these photos you viewed from? News outlets? Photos that look inflammatory are circulating much more widely than those where everyone’s trying to keep their distance and is wearing a mask.
Where I was I promise EVERYONE was wearing a mask. There were organisers handing them out to anyone that didn’t have one.

The BBQs I reference are the ones that have have been held where households and families have mixed since the beginning of lockdown, without masks. A single household BBQ on their own is obviously not flouting rule.

I’m white. I’m not against the protests at all. What I am against is the rioting and violence. There’s no need for that at all.

I’m white. I’ve don’t object. I attended a (law abiding, socially distanced) protest locally.

I'm white. I totally support BLM but I'm worried that black people have already been disproportionately affected by coronavirus, it feels like mingling in huge clouds is inherently dangerous atm.

I sincerely hope we dont get a huge Covid outbreak in black communities as a result of the protest crowds.

Most right thinking people support protests.
In London it appears to be yet another excuse to cause anarchy.

If blame is placed exclusively on the BLM protests, it will be clear to see what kind of prejudice is driving that misconception.

Well yes. You are living in a fantasyland if you think the predominantly white middle class types at the beach or the (currently) venerated nurses will cop it when there are handy black, violent types to blame instead.

Of course that is what is going to happen.

It was going well until you mentioned white privilege and supremacy.

Having read the responses, I think it is fairly clear that people regardless of ethnicity are concerned with public health.

"If blame is placed exclusively on the BLM protests, it will be clear to see what kind of prejudice is driving that misconception."

We haven't had any other mass gatherings in Wales since before lockdown.

I’m white and a high risk key worker who supports the protests. My friends who are not high risk and are at home on furlough oppose them. It annoys me

@BakedCam

It was going well until you mentioned white privilege and supremacy.

Having read the responses, I think it is fairly clear that people regardless of ethnicity are concerned with public health.

For months we've been told to protect the NHS and clap for the NHS etc. An NHS frontline that is stocked full of BAME workers, a demographic at more risk.

The protesters shouldn't have forgotten about that, even if risking their own health or that of their family they come into contact with and the general public isn't enough of a concern to abide by the strict rules regarding mass gatherings.

"where were these photos you viewed from? News outlets?

On social media so could be news outlets or individuals. Have also seen a photo from a participant who was there where she was clearly less than 2m away from another participant. It was a straight on photo.

The video footage of the statue coming down also showed people huddled close together.

I don't agree with the BBQs either, but the bigger the gathering the bigger the risk as far as I understand it.

Again, I keep reading you support the cause and peaceful protests but what are you actually doing to support the cause and peaceful protest?

I agree with the cause but not the violence and chucking bricks at a horse !! Am afraid after that happened the demo lost all its credibility.

@malificent7

Imo there is vandalism and "vandalism" Smashing windows and throwing rocks= bad. Dismantling statues of slavers= fine. Scrawling BLM on the cenotaph...hardly the end of the world and yes I am grateful for the sacrifices made during the war.

Yes, none of that bothers me. Even smashing windows doesn't bother me that much if it's windows where the people who own them have plenty of money to replace them and there is no risk to people. It's the large crowds that are not good at the moment.

at least on Facebook, I have seen only critical and nasty comments from white friends. I have defriended them now.

Aibu to feel that the incensed are scared of loosing their white priveledge or feelings of supremacy

What a revolting comment

I support the protests, just not the violence, which, in my opinion, is unnecessary, and shows anyone who commits it in a bad light. George Flloyd, and others, have been killed by violent acts, we don’t need such acts at a protest, we should be showing how peaceful demonstrations can work to achieve a much better life.

I remain concerned over the social distancing, or rather lack of it, and any rise in cases out of it

I'm white, protests are fine, vandalism isn't.

As people have said, BAME people are disproportionately dying of Covid.

This was happening at a far greater rate than those suffering police brutality. It's totally understandable that George Floyd's death is more viscerally horrible, but there was already something to protest about that was far more relevant to the UK. And yet it didn't happen.

Protesting now in a way that elevates the risk of the former race-related deaths for the sake of the latter just doesn't make sense to me.

(There's also a factor to me in that racism and the police both have different contexts in the UK and US - different, not necessarily inequal in scope or magnitude. I don't like treating problems as the same when the solutions might be different.)

I support the protests and protestors and the movement wholeheartedly. I don’t support attacking policemen or destroying businesses. 99% of the protesters have been peaceful. Shame it has been overshadowed by a small minority that has engaged in violence, looting and delinquency.

I feel that had a pandemic not been occurring, there would probably be 10x as many protestors out there which would have been wonderful to see! Unfortunately as important as the protests are, they are not good from a transmission/social distancing perspective. I’m worried this will lead to more cases.