WTAF - Far right protests

[Poppi89]

I have just heard on the radio that far-right protesters will be out tomorrow in response to the BLM protesters. People are being urged not to be out in support of BLM tomorrow due to the aggressive nature of the far-right group and BLM protests are being cancelled because of them.

I am outraged by this. The BLM protesters are asking for people to not be killed due to the colour of their skin. They have rightly or wrongly made a decision to put themselves at risk of COVID-19 to help spread this message - a lot of people have called them idiots etc for doing this.

The far-right protests are now also protesting in large groups (but not in response to a murder) and are 'known' for being aggressive. How is this acceptable?

I would like to hear from anyone who is planning to join/agree with these far-right protests and their reasons why?

I am simply saying I feel BLM need to drill down and really get to the heart of what concrete changes need to happen. You might say it is not one word or one statue, and that maybe true, but in order to change anything - it needs to be defined clearly and communicated first.

If it is jobs equality, better treatment in custody or stop and search etc etc then it needs to be defined clearly otherwise nothing will ever change!

Memes and personal videos have their place, but really they are not going to launch the kind of changes I think you are looking for. Definition, communication, strong leadership and an ambitious plan for the future might do more than you imagine to change things for the children of tomorrow.

No one here wants to live in a racist country, so we are all ears. Tell us how we can make things better. I want an equal society for everyone. It does not seem such a tall order when you think of the support that is there.

However only the FR threw bottles at cars and threatened people...I guess that's why they didnt take their little kids huh?

To be completely fair, we saw that last weekend too, and no sign of the FR then.

I’m seeing a hell of a lot of ‘my side is righteous’ here and it’s not going to achieve anything.

I expect people said the same thing about the civil rights protests and counter-protests in the US in the 60s. It was fairly clear that one side was righteous and the other side was not in that case as well.

I am wondering how I, or anyone for that matter, are able to do anything at all to help stop the discrimination?

Contribute to charities that challenge racial discrimination or volunteer for them.
Call out racist jokes and comments when you hear them.
Find out what your workplace does to promote opportunities for those from BAME backgrounds.
If you have not done so, undertake unconscious bias training.

There are four things. Google will give you plenty more. Holding your hands in the air and saying there is nothing you can do is just refusing to address the issue.

This.

twitter.com/j_87d/status/1270333003131228164?s=21

Boris Johnson needs to put a stop to all protests whilst in Covid

I'd be genuinely interested to know how anyone thinks this could be done - after all, crowds have been asked politely not to gather and they've ignored it

So what now? Kettling even bigger groups? Too many safety issues
Send it the army? Cries of "they've mobilised the state against us"
Water cannon? They won't like that

I'm intrigued to hear the arguments for justifying nazi salutes by Churchill's statue...Actually I'm not. It'll not be an enlightening discussion, just full of fear, ignorance and hate, all the usual racist rhetoric. Are you not tired of this violence, this intolerance of other human beings, of peace? Why ever you would be afraid of equality when you lend so heavily on it in the weakest of your arguments, "we have an equal right to hate as you do to love".

*Everyone has the right to protest about causes they believe in but today’s protesters, from both organisation weren’t protesters but thugs.

@Parker231
*
Exactly, but BLM didn't have a protest in London today so anyone there was not part of their organisation. 🤷‍♀️

BLM were having peaceful protests all over the country away from all the troublemakers.

I would be interested in reading the paper written by some social scientist student who makes it their job to pick through the posts on here comparing complaints about BLM protests about preventing racism and defending these far right racist extremists pretending they want to protect statues from a demo that was called off.

Waffle, perhaps there is hope from whomever writes this next chapter of history. I know which side I am firmly proud to be on. I think we can all feel that vitreous energy of equality breaking through this violence and hate. These weak arguments only strengthen ours.

The racist idiots turned up in Newcastle today to 'protect' our monument. Despite the monument being in a column a million feet in the air PLUS the Monument is actually of Charles Grey who was prime minister when they abolished slavery so he was never in any danger from the BLM protesters. The 'Newcastle Defenders' are just uneducated mindless thugs who just seen this as a chance for mindless violence. They were drinking and throwing things at the protesters and the police (and their horses). There was just no need

@happinessischocolate

*Everyone has the right to protest about causes they believe in but today’s protesters, from both organisation weren’t protesters but thugs.

@Parker231
*
Exactly, but BLM didn't have a protest in London today so anyone there was not part of their organisation. 🤷‍♀️

BLM were having peaceful protests all over the country away from all the troublemakers.

You can’t condone violence on one hand and then turn a blind eye on the other. If you are doing that then your unconscious bias is at work.

Fact is, extremists on the left and the right have come together in warfare. The noble cause of the original movement stopped being a peaceful protest last weekend at about 4 pm on Saturday when a bike got thrown at a mounted policeman and things took a steep nosedive from there.

At that point fascism took over. If you look at the pictures of the violence today, it’s quite clear those involved have more that unites them than separates them. Anyone who uses violence or vandalises property has crossed a very definite line.

For all the others, the protesters and the counter protesters that have turned up to stand together in unison, I feel bad for them. They ALL have a right to be there.

There is no legitimate defence of a pack of male right wing thugs shouting ‘England’ and gesturing with Nazi salutes next to the Cenotaph, and throwing missiles at the police (the key workers we were applauding just recently).

As usual the fascists on this thread are upset being called fascists. Blm marchers were protesting for equality. The thugs out today were marching for fascism. We are talking a whole world of difference.

Anyone who speaks of 'both sides' behaving badly on this thread or elsewhere is a racist. If you don't like being called racist don't fucking act like one! The level of white supremacy, white privilege and white fragility on this thread is why people worldwide are marching for equality.

The level of white supremacy, white privilege and white fragility on this thread is why people worldwide are marching for equality.

^^This

@pigeon999

glow For all of the anger and violence, what is really missing is what needs to change. The country is listening. We need to hear from BLM about concrete changes they would like to see, because only then will we actually open the debate and change can happen.

Id like to see BLM communicating what changes they would like to see. And I would someone on here to perhaps start the discussion, as to how this can change. Because no one wants to see people discriminated against, hurt or treated badly because of their race. Racism is completely and utterly unacceptable. What more can we do to make it better for those that feel discriminated against?

Well for a start @pigeon999 I think I'd stop saying stuff like 'they feel they've been discriminated against' - they don't feel like they've been discriminated against - they HAVE been systematically oppressed over many years.

Secondly, stop asking BLM to set out what they want and start by reflecting on your own privilege and to what extent you've used that to support and raise others.

If you read my post properly, I said anyone has the right to protest but there weren’t protesters out today but thugs looking for trouble - they probably had no idea of the issues people are concerned about.

The level of white supremacy, white privilege and white fragility on this thread is why people worldwide are marching for equality.

YES!! 👆🏾

The lack/unwillingness to self reflect is almost impressive.

The level of white supremacy, white privilege and white fragility on this thread is why people worldwide are marching for equality.

Totally agree.

@Zorbathegeek

The level of white supremacy, white privilege and white fragility on this thread is why people worldwide are marching for equality.

Totally agree.

Absolutely - am astounded at some of the whatabout-ery some posters are engaging in to sustain their white privilege and fragility.

If you are after a podcast to listen to I'd recommend The Echo Chamber (episode 21 deals with the immediate response to the GF murder in America - I've not listened to ep22 yet)

open.spotify.com/show/61NN9bklzhHZs5YvR0jyoT

the exhaustion and heaviness that these young folk are exuding on this pod is staggering, they simply have no bandwidth left to 'explain' to people like @pigeon999 what needs to change, they've tried and tried and nothing happens. Our (white) expectation of them to manage our whiteness is a huge literal smack in the face.

Defending our monuments?
This is a far right charmer urinating over a monument to a dead police officer.