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?

@longwayoff

I wish I could, smile. Briefly, you have completely misunderstood the content of Parker's post and should apologise.

Please read it again smile

a number of times

Oh then ignore what i said...

Maybe ive got it wrong

I read it as one side is deffo worse than the other

One side just wants a better life and the other side dont want them to have that better life

I read it as supportive of the BLM protests

I dont get How anyone can protest against BLM...makes no sense to me

Protest 1: black Lives Matter

Protest 2: no they dont

😳 I mean how anyone even align themselves with the second protest

@Parker231 is agreeing with you Smile. She literally said it was a false equivalence.

@Xenia

Good explanation from Melia.

I don't think it helps to pick on the words people use too much as it is by our needs not our words we are really known in life.

Words matter

People keep mentioning Nazi salutes. BBC News hasn't mentioned anything about that happening. It would be very much in character, clearly, but I would like to see video evidence of it. Like the picture of the man urinating on the memorial to Keith Palmer. (He's being charged, thank goodness.)

Yes, they do but in life it tends to be by our deeds that we show who we are. It is easy to say you support a cause but it is how you live your life. Eg I think sex equality is something we ought to live so I always worked full time and did not rely on a man for money and that kind of thing (although I have certainly done radio shows etc about women and working so have put in a fair few words about the topic too).

I do feel very lucky that my family were not racist - which i put down to Catholicism in the first place (Bible - everyone is equal etc) and I suppose the escape of some of them from famine in Ireland plus perhaps that my parents passed the11 plus and got a grammar school education etc although I am pretty sure their own parents were not racist either. We certainly need to ensure where we can that all our children treat people equally. Sexism affects more people in the UK than racism however so as that directly affects me more that is my preferred cause. My son would say we need to be more careful how we treat animals too and in 100 years we will never believe what we did with animals in 2020 - that we even ate them! I don't share his views on that.

@Parker231

From the news coverage yesterday, there was violence from some people in both of the groups. That is not acceptable but I saw this post on Twitter which I thought summed it up.

“Both sides are not as bad as each other.

One side would like their lives to be a bit better.

The other side would prefer that didn't happen.”

This says to me those that are seeking for their lives to be better eg, people wanting equality, there are those that do not want that to happen eg, Racist people. It is a supportive message.

For all those offended by the term white privilege, channel your discomfort and educate yourselves. If it upsets you, then there is hope of you ridding yourself of this ignorance. This is a beautiful article:

www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2017/09/08/my-white-friend-asked-me-on-facebook-to-explain-white-privilege-i-decided-to-be-honest

And this is the brilliant Akala in interview:

youtu.be/atfVUgyEIOI

The privileged know not what they have.

Right wing (and left wing) activist will always come out with their own agenda, following populist genuine protests.

@pigeon999

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.

That is nonsense. You have no proof that the far right weren't out last week. The fact there is a huge amount of evidence that the far right weer stirring shit in American protests would lead me to believe that the far right were also there last weekend. Having read your posts though you seem to want to prove that both sides are as bad as each other, the racism that seeps through your posts are so hidden but clearly there when looked at together.

Lots of evidence that whole Robert Bruce carry on was the far right

Sexism affects more people in the UK than racism

Absolutely!!!!!! I know the discussion is not about this (before someone shouts me down) but how few would march for this. People care so much more about racism. I wonder why? White people who haven’t experienced it will gladly march against racism. Would men march in such numbers against sexism? BLM is a revered group. Feminism is a dirty word.

I know you’re all going to leap on and say this discussion is about racism and not sexism. I wanted to say it anyway because it bothers me how much people can make themselves care about one issue and hardly at all about another that affects far greater numbers.

Equality is not an extreme, it's a human obligation. There's nothing to fear. It shouldn't be minimised or vilified, but embrace with integrity and pride. Ask yourself what you can do, today, to support equality?

SpokeTooSoon You are welcome to start a thread about this issue, as I am sure you know. So go ahead and do that.

SpokeTooSoon, when you stand up against racism you are standing up for equality. Equality has the broadest shoulders and infinite capacity. Sexism and racism are not at odds with one another they are part of the same struggle, the same journey. You can feel the buoyancy of the progress made against sexism supporting the mindset of people prepared to educate themselves. People are asking themselves those deeply difficult questions and not running from the answers but challenging their own ignorance. The wind of change is blowing for everything that equality represents, let us stand united.

'That is nonsense. You have no proof that the far right weren't out last week. The fact there is a huge amount of evidence that the far right weer stirring shit in American protests would lead me to believe that the far right were also there last weekend. Having read your posts though you seem to want to prove that both sides are as bad as each other'

The thugs and vandals on both sides are as bad as each other. Missiles thrown at the police this week, ditto last week. 40 police officers injured last week, 4 this week.

BLM. As does respecting historical monuments such as The Cenotaph. The arsehole seen urinating next to Keith Palmer's plaque has been arrested, now let's see if the ones doing the same at The Cenotaph last week are arrested too.

If you want to learn more about this inequality then I recommend you stop clicking on the red tops and even the BBC and telegraph and start listening to reasonable people like Malcolm Gladwell who has a great podcast on legitimacy (social contracts between authority and the people) with reference to recent events. Also, read up on Liverpools peaceful protest yesterday and listen to Lawrence Westaph whose calm and level headed approach contributed to this. Watch what he's got to say about taking the Penny Lane sign down and his views on statues. These are the people I want to listen to and support, not people ranting. I want to listen to intelligent people pointing out the issues and offering solutions.

Check these 2 guys out.

Sexism affects more people than racism in the UK

You do realise women of colour do exist and particularly black women suffer from both, which puts them at a significant disadvantage. Diane Abott suffers both misogynistic and racist abuse on a daily basis. One being addressed does not cancel the other

“If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.” —The Combahee River Collective, 1977

Please watch the video in this link and explain why exactly I must revere this man who set up these concentration camps in African countries and starved 3 million people on a whim?

twitter.com/dijoni/status/1271830975618576390?s=19

Check your privilege!

At every level, working-class white boys are the most disadvantaged group.

By the age of five white boys from disadvantaged backgrounds are already 13% behind disadvantaged black boys and 23% behind disadvantaged Asian girls in their phonics.

Only a third of white working-class boys pass their maths and English GCSEs.

Disadvantaged white working-class boys are 40% less likely to go into higher education than disadvantaged black boys.

According to UCAS, only 9% of these boys will go to university, compared with around half of the general population.

@pippahugo just what ? Who should check their privilege exactly? Who are you responding to ? Have you read this thread?

What are you doing to help white working class boys ?

Education, Education, Eductaion.

As Bristolproud noted above, “The privileged know not what they have.”

But if you are truly looking to help OrangeCinnamon, rather than posturing, a good starting point would be the National Collaborative Outreach Programme to extend higher education opportunities to specifically disadvantaged groups across the country.

This kicked off in Lincoln through LiNCHigher, involving Bishop Grosseteste University and the University of Lincoln, but there are likely to be other outreach programmes local to you.

In addition, Universities UK are carrying out a major review into admissions to look at how to make the application process fairer for all students. You can make a difference by campaigning there for fairer access.