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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Sarah protest vs BLM protest

78 replies

changedthenamemate · 14/03/2021 10:58

AIBU to wonder why I have read no negativity about groups forming and becoming violent for the Sarah/claim back the streets protests, yet the BLM and fighting racism protests attracted heavy amounts of criticism and tbh hatred?

Even the Kate Middleton joined in with this protest... But no support was shown (if i remember correctly) about BLM protests from her?

Not being goady, just confused

OP posts:
Mittens030869 · 14/03/2021 12:22

mygenericusername
It’s very simple. One was a protest surrounding various criminals who had died at the hands of police doing their job. The other was for a young girl walking down the street. She was brutally murmured despite doing nothing to deserve it. They are very different and it’s appalling that you have posted, clearly to try and stir up racial tensions.

This 100%. There’s no comparison.

BIWI · 14/03/2021 12:25

@1stmonkey

The only violence in last night's vigil, as far as I could see, was from the police

You missed the female police officer being punched in the face then? And the group of protesters throwing various items at police officers?

I did. As I said 'as far as I could see' - so I missed that. And do not condone it in any way.
EastMonkey · 14/03/2021 12:25

@1stmonkey can you provide links to those please, I certainly haven't seen anything about either.

Troublewaters2021 · 14/03/2021 12:26

Also again will be jumped on for this I just did not like the fact George was the face of the whole
Thing.

1stmonkey · 14/03/2021 12:27

I don't have links. I do have a husband who was there, working. I'm sure that makes me biased.

1stmonkey · 14/03/2021 12:28

news.met.police.uk/news/statement-from-ac-helen-ball-following-events-in-clapham-common-423210

Statement that no media have covered because it's not in their interests

HerNameIsY0shimi · 14/03/2021 12:34

I thought BLM got a lot of support. The protests were (rightly) allowed to go ahead. Anyone in my circle speaking out against BLM would have swiftly been told to massively fuck themselves and I feel the exact same way about this vigil.

I don't think comparisons are helpful at all for either side. I've been really careful when posting, not to say things like; "people saying men shouldn't have to hear about how nasty SOME men are to women, are just as bad as white people saying they don't have to hear about Black history or institutional racism, cos it'st too upsetting". Because, if I said that, I'd rightly be told not to exploit BLM to further my own cause.

I think comparing them is going to end up in an absolute mess as well. BLM will end up being openly criticized by some on here. I hope that isn't your intention.

Troublewaters2021 · 14/03/2021 12:34

@1stmonkey can they explain why very clearly a women was standing still with 2 arms in a bar, when something to other side kicked off. She didn’t move she didn’t even turn around yes was assaulted by a police officer ?
I can understand there was a few who maybe done something wrong which the police would respond to but not innocent unarmed women who was literally standing there doing nothing !

Speeches on the band stand - criminal

EastMonkey · 14/03/2021 12:36

Its a bit strange that the four arrests which were made all came from the band stand - there was no violence on there. There was no violence at the time those arrests were made.

Did they let the person who assaulted a police officer just walk away? Every single member of the police had bodycam on them.

DdraigGoch · 14/03/2021 12:38

@changedthenamemate

AIBU to wonder why I have read no negativity about groups forming and becoming violent for the Sarah/claim back the streets protests, yet the BLM and fighting racism protests attracted heavy amounts of criticism and tbh hatred?

Even the Kate Middleton joined in with this protest... But no support was shown (if i remember correctly) about BLM protests from her?

Not being goady, just confused

You obviously haven't been reading the right Comment's sections. Reading down the comments on the Daily Mail (purely in the interests of research, you understand), the top-rated ones are of the "don't they know we're in lockdown?" ilk, while the bottom-rated ones complain of heavy-handed police. I can't see an awful lot of difference in people's reactions.

Last night's vigil was largely peaceful, broken only by a few extremists (the usual anarchists who latch on to any passing cause) and the heavy-handed actions of the Met. The BLM protests last summer however involved a large amount of destruction and looting, and at least one death at the hands of rioters in America. Last summer the Met didn't go in all guns blazing, they kneeled down and watched.

wightwine · 14/03/2021 12:43

@mygenericusername

It’s very simple. One was a protest surrounding various criminals who had died at the hands of police doing their job. The other was for a young girl walking down the street. She was brutally murmured despite doing nothing to deserve it. They are very different and it’s appalling that you have posted, clearly to try and stir up racial tensions.
Is it very simple? since when is it the police's job to murder a man in the street? the police officer was arrogant enough to murder a man in front of a camera knowing that he would be supported and protected by people like you.

the dead man didn't do anything to warrant summary execution in the street.

Troublewaters2021 · 14/03/2021 12:48

@wightwine the issue was they starting sharing stories from the U.K. where black men were “ murdered by police “ including one where he was killed because he had a lighter !
Which wasn’t the case at all and I am sure the victim of the man wirh the lighter which by the way was in a shape of a gun and being held to a person head was Thankful they shot him.

Downinthebottomofthegarden · 14/03/2021 12:54

Something that the sarah everard coverage has highlighted to me is that there's still alot of discrimination based on race/looks/class.

Cannot imagine all this fallout would've happened if she'd been an overweight black woman from a working class area of Bolton.

Troublewaters2021 · 14/03/2021 12:59

@Downinthebottomofthegarden there would of been as it’s about who did it more than anything and the police response.

Felifox · 14/03/2021 13:03

Sarah's murder has awakened the issue of women's safety. It highlights that you cannot even trust a serving police officer who has a gun permit.

It's part of a wider issue but if men are aware that their behaviour can be misunderstood and that women's behaviour is adapted to minimise risk then that is a start

wightwine · 14/03/2021 13:11

@Troublewaters2021

Also again will be jumped on for this I just did not like the fact George was the face of the whole Thing.
why would you be upset that George Floyd was the face of the whole thing? He was the one casually executed by the police officer. His murder was the culmination of 400 years of abuse by whites and their police forces in america.
wightwine · 14/03/2021 13:15

@Mittens030869

**mygenericusername It’s very simple. One was a protest surrounding various criminals who had died at the hands of police doing their job. The other was for a young girl walking down the street. She was brutally murmured despite doing nothing to deserve it. They are very different and it’s appalling that you have posted, clearly to try and stir up racial tensions.**

This 100%. There’s no comparison.

Here we go with the selective/manipulative language.

Not everyone attacked and murdered by the police is a criminal, but the people we are talking about are black so that is the same thing.

Sarah Everard (notice I used her name) was a 33 year old woman not 'a young girl'

Zig4zag · 14/03/2021 13:22

Partly more sympathy for an innocent female and partly a bit of protest boredom. There has been just such a lot of protests and hashtags that many can't be bothered even taking notice any more.

Mittens030869 · 14/03/2021 13:27

Sorry, I can see that that post must have looked goady. Obviously, not all the black people involved were criminals. And even if they were, the police actions were disgraceful.

I think the point really is that the police were actually on duty and arresting a suspect. This clearly wasn’t the case with Sarah. The policeman who has been charged with her murder wasn’t on duty; the fact that he happened to be a police officer isn’t necessarily relevant to the case.

FTMF30 · 14/03/2021 13:29

@Bourbonic

Erm. Both mass gatherings, so both wrong in the current climate. A shame people chose to ignore the wishes of Sarah's family and go ahead with their gathering. People should have gone home when told to etc.
But the vigil wasn't supposedly just about Sarah was it so, in a way, it would make sense that her families wishes wouldn't have much bearing.
lap90 · 14/03/2021 13:32

[quote Troublewaters2021]@Downinthebottomofthegarden there would of been as it’s about who did it more than anything and the police response.[/quote]
Well, thankfully, this was a well known missing persons case prior to the revelation that a police officer was arrested, which only increased interest further.

There is certainly research on race and class playing a factor in a missing person's media coverage.

wightwine · 14/03/2021 13:32

the fact that the man charged is a police officer is relevant. we are appalled when an officer is killed and expect harsh sentences for their murderers. by the same token, we expect more of a police officer with regard to personal conduct i.e. behave correctly, don't break the law.

FTMF30 · 14/03/2021 13:33

@Mittens030869

**mygenericusername It’s very simple. One was a protest surrounding various criminals who had died at the hands of police doing their job. The other was for a young girl walking down the street. She was brutally murmured despite doing nothing to deserve it. They are very different and it’s appalling that you have posted, clearly to try and stir up racial tensions.**

This 100%. There’s no comparison.

@mittens030869 So all black people who died at the hands of the police were criminals and deserved to die?

This thread, goady or not, sure is exposing the racists.

Mittens030869 · 14/03/2021 13:35

I said the actions of the police in America were disgraceful, whether the people they were arresting were criminals or not. How is that saying they deserved to die?

Mittens030869 · 14/03/2021 13:43

I don’t think it indicates that there’s a problem within the police of tolerating violence against women. I found them very supportive when I reported the historical sexual abuse I suffered as a child.

Whereas there certainly is blatant racism within the police in the US, and it’s there in the UK as well, So in that way the two cases are totally different. That’s what I was trying to say.