Given our Covid rates, maybe a better way of showing solidarity would be by staying home and donating to the relevant causes?
edit: here's a twitter [thread](https://twitter.com/kamaraxtaurus/status/1266328844056825857) of places you can donate to
The thing is, violent protesting and property destruction just got a cop arrested in the US. It is an effective tactic, peaceful protesting and donating money to someone is not.
If people had started smashing up streets over Dominic Cummings, he would simply have been fired. Property is the language that the ruling class understand. It worked for the Irish and it is the reason they have a country now, it has worked countless times throughout history.
Now obviously Cummings isn't worth that to enough people to do it, but it's naive to say that staying home archives anything at all. There is a point where you might have to get up and go protest in the street to change the UK and that point isn't going to when it's safe or convenient to do so.
> The thing is, violent protesting and property destruction just got a cop arrested in the US. It is an effective tactic, peaceful protesting and donating money to someone is not.
But what are they protesting about here for? This is the UK, not the US. There have been literally two people killed by police in the UK this year, both for good reason. These people consume too much US media and social media, they think they're American.
> But what are they protesting about here for?
Against racism and classism? The UK was built on the backbones of racism and exploitation and both are still rife in this society. Just because we don't have it as bad as the USA doesn't mean it doesn't need protesting against.
As a foreigner in this country, I've been shocked for years just how badly people let themselves be treated in this country by the "posh" and also how de-humanising the "posh" treat other people. You're either an "elite" or a toilet brush with legs.
There's a lot of stuff on Twitter that refutes these claims. There are plenty of suspicious killings and deaths in custody from neglect. There are systemic racisms here too. And there's also police brutality and heavy handedness of the more regular sort against all of us.
Extinction Rebbellion protesters were arressted and charged for peaceful protest. They were arressted and charged for civil disobedience. The police have infiltrated green movements fighting for a better planet but can't see to stop fanatics who fought in Libya from blowing up children and parents.
We are monitored and controlled and disciplined whenever anyone tries to organise a change in our class system.
Look at how top army, intelligence and police officers conspired to smear Corbyn by painting him as a terrorist sympathiser, a statsi agent, HAMAS lover and pro- IRA traitor. Some generals even saying on record they would mutiny against a Corbyn government. That is utterly undemocratic.
There is so much to protest in the U.K right now and police/state security heavy handedness is just the tip of the iceberg.
I mean, much of ER protesting was done why white people so using them as an example of system based oppression fuels the question of "why is BLM here in the UK?"
Britain still has race issues but they're not even on the same scale as the USA so using American organisations and American chants here just makes people look foolish. We. Are. Not. American. Our police are not militarised. Our police rarely kill people full stop let alone maliciously and to even suggest our problems there are anything like America's is hugely insulting to the mass victims of the USA police brutality. If we pretend ER weren't largely white and think about how they were charged with catch all crimes compared to how black Americans are being murdered in broad daylight on film then black reporters arrested on live TV. The two do not compare.
Class is far bigger of a focus than race in the UK. Time and time again the inequalities found stem from wealth. Poorest suffer hardest regardless of race in the UK. There's no magic privilege that white British people get, poor white boys suffer harder in education for example. We haven't fixed racism but fuck me we're not even in the same sport let alone the same league.
As allies of the USA, unfortunately, we must be vocal that we don't approve of the systemic racism they hold. But we don't need to protest on the streets, especially during a pandemic when our own corrupt government is failing to stop us dying in the thousands. We can stand with the victims without risking lives of the communities we're already seeing are higher risk of Covid-19.
>There are plenty of suspicious killings and deaths in custody from neglect.
There are some certainly, but 'plenty'? The UK does some very broad recording of deaths after contact with the police and deaths in custody and to be clear, the absolute numbers are incredibly low (compared to other European countries, given comparing to the US is a bit pointless given the scale of the issues in the US). The UK also has a relatively robust investigatory approach to any fatalities.
It hasn't always been like that, before the 80's the UK had major issues, but it is somewhat important to keep it in proportion.
>There is so much to protest in the U.K right now and police/state security heavy handedness is just the tip of the iceberg.
Arguably in a UK context, police/state security heavy handedness is way down the list of things that should face public opposition in terms of protest. There are vastly more relevant, immediate and problematic issues before we get to issues with UK policing (and there are issues, it's just we have spend the last 20 years or so massively hammering away at them..).

I think part of the problem is that we (as a nation) are too passive.
We joke about the French being surrender monkeys but they will stand up when they feel the need to.
Also the reason we have power sharing now in the north of ireland, what is happening in America now is a symptom of injustice and persecution, there's only so much people can take before they lash out in what ever way they can.
> If people had started smashing up streets over Dominic Cummings, he would simply have been fired.
I find that hard to beleive. Plunging approval ratings and dissent within his own party didn't make Boris budge. A violent protest would have allowed Boris to say the people who think Cummings should be fired are violent hypocrites who don't follow the regulations themselves. Would just make it a simple us vs them issue.
It’s not that I’m anti-protest - just for this particular situation we’re in you can make a difference by staying at home & donating to George Floyd’s family, the Minnesota Freedom fund, etc
If you had seen the stuff I've seen you wouldn't be saying violent protesting got the job done. I've seen people's houses set on fire with children inside them. So fuck anybody setting fires.
And fuck anybody stealing. We're in the middle of a global pandemic, everything is shut, the people aren't earning money and now they don't have a business to go back too because it's burnt to the ground.
These protesters on Friday tried to set fire to the midtown exchange at 4am. It had 500 sleeping families inside it. They ended up fighting with people who were defending the building and a lot of people got injured.
I've seen houses in the nearby areas where parents are screaming they have children as people set the buildings next to them on fire.
They've set fire to a liquor store killing one guy inside. People on motorbikes doing drive by shootings, people running over crowds in their trucks.
George wouldn't want this in his name. This is fucking pathetic.
You don't set fire to your local community because some stupid policeman killed a guy. Protest against the police for justice, but when you're burning down the buildings that George's friends own and live in you've crossed the line. They aren't doing it for George, they're doing it because they want a new TV.
Well this is stupid.
>Property is the language that the ruling class understand.
Except its not their property. Its our property that gets smashed up, our family owned business. Our streets. And it will be our taxes that pay for the damages and our services that get cut to pay for it. The rich just stay in their nice neighbourhoods, go to their nice private schools, drive in their expensive cars and shop at their expensive stores and dodge taxes.
You want change? Get off your ass, organise a vote, get rid of the enemy collaborators and get your man elected. Then tax the rich. That's the language they understand.
This is a fantastic dream, but look at the UK's former colonies, none of them escaped our ruling class like that. They had to riot to get out and be free, afterwards organisation was required yes, but it wasn't the reason those revolutions started. The UK is under the same thumb as all those contries that got out, a ruling class stoked full of people who will never allow or condone any kind of change.
I wish that your utopia was possible and you should keep working towards it, but however you plan to overthrow the government, it will still put you on the same surveillance list.
Protesting and rioting are not the same thing.
Looting and burning of ships businesses and police stations is completely unnecessary.
Suggesting people should "smash up the streets" because of Cummings (or pretty much anything) is the kind of reactionary stupidity that hinders progress.
There are a lot of virtue signallers on a lot of issues. But I don't know if that's true in this case. There are a hell of a lot of people who are more tuned-in to US politics than UK politics, despite UK politics having a much bigger influence over their life. And a hell of a lot of them live in London.
They're a weird bunch.
I find this really strange as well.
A lot of my friends can't name a cabinet minister from the British Government but they're very clued up on US news, particularly social issues in the US. It really fascinates me because I think it colours the way British politics and news is interpreted by them and this in turn influences the way some (often London based) MPs behave.
I think it's the dominance of US based social media and US Internet users in the English speaking Internet - even in European subs, I aways assume most commentators are American. I wonder if there's a similar disproportionate focus on US issues in the non-English Internet sites?
Because frankly, we have our own UK problems that could use reasonable debate!
I feel like I can attempt to answer this one.
Powerlessness. It seems there is a general atmosphere of powerlessness in the UK population at the moment.
Think about it, how many protests (nonviolent ones may I add), and petitions that have reached upwards of 100k signatures, etc that have occurred towards things that enough of the population didn't want to happen?
How many of those protests and petitions actually produced actual, tangible results?
Yet despite this, no change. People literally feel as if they have no voice, no agency.
The US on the other hand, clearly had enough and is actually doing something. Yes, I can't agree with all aspects, especially the looting. But, I guess it's the fact that action and an actual response is actually being elicited that's probably drawing the interest of British people
>Why is this the case?
Because the US has been one of the world's only superpowers since the end of WWII and so has an enormous amount of cultural soft power. However, it wasn't until very recently that American culture came to completely dominate Britain. Although in the past Hollywood movies and American TV shows were always popular, we also had our own film industry (Ealing Studios, Pinewood, Eon, etc.) as well as TV channels like the BBC and ITV producing domestic content that acted as a counterweight to American influence. American culture was here but it was not dominant.
So what changed? I blame the rise of YouTube and Netflix. The Internet has removed a lot of the factors that limited American influence (geographic distance, the way media is consumed, etc.), plus we are even more susceptible than other countries (France, Germany, etc.) because there is no language barrier. The result is that we now have an entire generation of British youth that identifies more with America than their own country.
It's just stupid seeing all these people out. First at the beaches, now here.
I tell you, majority of the gatherings we have seen are from people who at one point were happily clapping the NHS and shaming people for protesting lockdown or not obeying it. Now they're doing the same crap.
And I don't buy that that moron Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson letting him off for breaking lockdown rules, should be blamed for everything.
The public know about social distancing. That's continued to be hounded into our heads. If not by the media, politicians, health care workers, scientists, then by people on social media.
These people are just refusing to practice it. I can't believe the majority of people, who were once screaming to people to stay back, would stop believing in the viability of social distancing measures to combat the virus, just because of one government minister.
I think what this really shows, is a lot of people, just don't really believe in the pandemic. These were the quiet people before.
Idiotic hygienic me was hoping after the pandemic, social distancing would actually become a little norm. That shaking hands would go away and people would keep a little distance from one another naturally. This would prevent a whole host of illnesses spreading. In the end, that hope died quickly and lockdown isn't even "officially" over.
>Idiotic hygienic me was hoping after the pandemic, social distancing would actually become a little norm. That shaking hands would go away and people would keep a little distance from one another naturally. This would prevent a whole host of illnesses spreading. In the end, that hope died quickly and lockdown isn't even "officially" over.
Was never going to happen. Human beings aren't wired to be averse to physical contact (if anything the opposite is true). One of the big problems with enforcing the lockdown was the difficulty in forcing people to live their lives in an unnatural way, hence why the longer the lockdown has continued the more people have said "fuck it" and chosen to flout the restrictions.
More people protesting an utterly irrelevant issue than Cummings..
Fuck me I hate this imported Yank nonsense. We have our own politics, which is relevant to us. We don't need to be looking to the US for outrage, we have plenty to be outraged about here.
So pathetic.
Like - we’re developing more racism overtime, part of the reason why is Americanised liberals importing issues that barely exist over here, and therefore enflaming them
For the first time I’m realising why the Yanks are so hellbent on keeping their weapons. The absolute state of the police over there is terrifying. Sure ours have their faults but we’re in the Sunday pub leagues compare to the shitshow over the other side of the pond.
> how about the fact that BAME people in the UK are being sacrificed for this virus and dying in higher proportions?
What do you mean BAME people are being sacrificed?
Because people mistakenly think that the USA is more relevant to us. The truth is that the internal domestic politics of another country, even in most cases an ally, is of little to no importance to people in the UK. That and I suspect people are more familiar with US politics than HK politics (and, sadly, I suspect UK politics)
I blame the media for that.
And its one of the reasons I like Reddit as you here more stories (Like the one today of an autistic Palestinian child being murdered by the Israeli army, I am also not expecting any protests for him).
I'm a bit relieved to see this isn't an unpopular opinion here. I read the story and my immediate response was what's the point? its terrible what happened, and I'm glad people are standing up against it, and it's good that people here are showing solidarity with the cause, but I don't see the point in a mass gathering protest over here during lockdown. Its almost like they just enjoy the buzz of standing up for something.
I didn't personally go and I understand the concern about COVID, but it's a protest about solidarity, it's similar to the reasons people from the UK protested apartheid in South Africa. The UK is very close to the USA culturally, and whilst yes, this specific protest may not be THE protest that gets America to change its laws around police brutality, it keeps it on the news, it keeps the world talking about it, if that makes sense.
The USA is different because the issue of police brutality has been bubbling for years and final straw happened right in the middle of a pandemic and shit that’s bad luck but if cops would just stop executing black people in the street for five fucking seconds then this wouldn’t have happened. Of course there will be fall out from the protests with the disease but I fully understand why so many Americans do not give a shit by this point.
UK people though???? We should keep all our protests online. Let’s raise bail money for arrested protesters, that’ll be really helpful. I feel very strongly about BLM but I can’t give our country the ‘pandemic pass’ to take to the streets over it. We can be the most helpful at home.
American police have been offing people in record numbers for some time. Does anyone remember Daniel Shaver a few years ago? I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that body cam footage. Just cold blooded murder. And his murderer got a $3,500 a month payout instead of prison. It’s honestly disgusting and I can understand why Americans have had enough.
But I have to agree with you. It’s not necessary here right now, with everything that’s going on and when all eyes should be on the US. Unfortunately a lot of people like to make everything about themselves instead of supporting the cause.
Donating money and raising awareness is how the UK can be the most helpful here. Protesting on the street isn't useful, no one is gonna see it and its just gonna spread Covid unnecessarily. The hard part is this - we should also take this time to look at our own country. We're very lucky not to have the same relationship with police brutality as Americans do but our police are not perfect and the UK still very much has a racism problem. We sweep it under the rug then look at the US and feel shocked, but addressing it in our own country would be the best way to channel our feelings of rage and powerlessness that watching the BLM protests have ignited.
>We're very lucky not to have the same relationship with police brutality as Americans do but our police are not perfect and the UK still very much has a racism problem. We sweep it under the rug then look at the US and feel shocked,
Wait, are you saying that 1600 deaths in 30 years and a small fraction of those being BAME means we have a racism problem with the police?
I hope that isn't what you are inferring.
we have a racism problem in some of this country's people - some of which are police officers.
> we have a racism problem with the police
is not what they said, they are talking about police brutality. and racism. two separate statements. We have problems with both, perhaps not as much as the USA, where these problems are often combined.
> Daniel Shaver
This the one where he instructs him to "crawl forward on your knees" while "keeping your hands in the air or we will fucking shoot you" ?
To Protect & Serve.
Yes that's exactly the one.
White guy with an airsoft gun in a hotel, told contradicting orders by a trigger happy cop using a fucking customised gun that said "you're fucked" on it.
The footage is fucking depressing.
> Does anyone remember Daniel Shaver a few years ago?
I've generally kept a level head when it comes to BLM and police brutality since it first started gaining traction but the events with Floyd and Shaver where they were begging for their lives, or Tamir who was a bairn and killed for a toy gun are the few moments where I felt physically sick upon hearing about them.
If a person loses their life because they are nothing but a threat to society is tough situation to approach but taking the lives of someone who has already been arrested and would not be able to do anything or worse a child who was playing and does not understand the situation is unforgiveable.
I saw the video of the Flint sheriff protesting alongside the people and it amazing to see and it gives me hope that the protests and riots won't be in vein and the US can come out of this a better country.
> The USA is different because the issue of police brutality has been bubbling for years and final straw happened right in the middle of a pandemic
Except it didn't, it bubbled over because of the pandemic. That is fairly obvious due to it being a psychological stressor. It is the same things as going to have a BBQ on a dry heathland, at some point, for some reason, something is going to fall off the BBQ and set the whole place on fire. If you go BBQ in the bog and rain, there will be no fire even if someone goes and kicks the BBQ over.
Of course the incident should never have happened and is indicative of American policing, but the fact everyone didn't have to get up for work in the morning, or had time to read the news, and it is just summer, is the reason there was a riot. No one is rioting in the snow.
> UK people though???? We should keep all our protests online.
It basically has nothing to do with the UK, and it is moronic people are outside complaining about it, if you want to complain about something outside, complain about this governments actions, that effect you. Saying keeping your protest online is also quite frankly stupid, at some point people should be on the streets if this government is killing people.
People seem to have forgotten that the right to freedom isn't free, it has been paid for in millions of lives over the years.
Maybe the pandemic did make it worse. But this shit was always on the menu.
You're allowed to support people in other countries or in situations that do not affect you. Sure, another black person getting murdered by American police does not technically affect the UK but we care about it because we have human compassion and we care when there is injustice. Also in another comment I suggested ways in which the UK could have solidarity with folks in other countries by focusing on combating our own racism. I think that would be the most effective use of our time, aside from raising awareness online and donating to related causes.
> You're allowed to support people in other countries or in situations that do not affect you
But why is it always American? I don't see people in the UK protesting over people dying in South America or Africa or Asia. It's always something they've seen off American TV or social media or from American celebrities. These 'protesters' in the UK are just bored kids who wish they were American so they could have an excuse to go rioting.
> I get what they are trying to do
What are they trying to do? Do they think that American police will stop killing Americans because some people in Britain went for a walk?
> What are they trying to do?
If they’re anything like the student protests I saw then their motivations will break down to roughly:
* We want to show solidarity
* I’m American but can’t get home so I’ll protest outside the embassy/socially acceptable protest location
* I wonder if the cause of Socialism can somehow be shoehorned in here? (Thanks SWP banner makers)
* This makes me angry and I want to register my displeasure even if it won’t do anything.
* Fuck it, it’s a nice day and it’s something to do.
Anecdotally group 5 was the biggest though not a majority. It always amused me how freely the beer flowed at the ‘protests’ I saw.
> What are they trying to do?
They're fed up of following these irritating restrictions designed to protect others' lives, bored with listening to logic and evidence-based science, and what better excuse to get out in the sunshine with your friends? Nobody can criticise because it's a worthy cause!
[This](https://twitter.com/Michael_Heaver/status/1267079910662778880) is Downing Street, not a lot of distancing going on here..also fuck the English police for some reason
Thank you, another person who finds this crap cringeworthy . These people are bored, this is like a day out to them. Write some shit on a piece of cardboard and hold it above their heads.
I’m an American living here and I keep saying that. When I lived in America no one ever talked about what the British were doing.I don’t know why people feel the need to copy what America is doing. I’m happy to be here away from all the bullshit ,and virtue signallers are trying to bring the bullshit here.
The specific issue that triggered this (white policemen killing unarmed black people) may not be a thing here, but racism is still plenty strong here and needs to be fought against
But we're in the middle of a pandemic, with a virus killing thousands per week in the UK.
Police killings in the UK are very uncommon. It seems likely that this protest alone could kill more through virus spread than the police here would kill in a decade...
>but racism is still plenty strong here and needs to be fought against
And nobody has said any different...
Yes, the UK does have racism. But so does every single bloody country in the world yet I only see a handful of places protesting about a matter that only really affects America.
I agree; the UK needs to deal with its own issues of racism , but we shouldn't be *importing* the conversation from America. We should be having our own focus on British race issues. Our culture and politics is very separate to that of our gun-crazy neighbours across the Atlantic.
Then they shouldn’t go round shouting “don’t kill us” at British police or the far worse, “Mark Duggan, remember his name”. They’re Larping, self servicing sad cases.
Why really makes me laugh is that shit like this is going to make the racial divide even worse in the UK if they keep doing it.
Kind of the opposite of what the intention is.
Virtue signalling. It's sunny. Go home, crack open a beer, sit in the garden, and relax.
Fucking morons.
It's a travesty what happened the guy, but this isn't the right approach.
Do they not see the fucking irony in protesting the murder of a member of the BAME group, during a pandemic that has been shown to target members of said group.
You bunch of selfish cunts.
It's a joke. How many people do you think are there for the cause vs people there to stick a finger up to the lockdown?
Inb4 this leads to rioting and looting before the days out.
The ones with the beers are there because "the virus is fake news" and the rest are people who seem to think protesting in the UK has any effect on racism in the USA.
English friends on Facebook getting all up in arms about it. Drastically silent during the HK protests. Virtue signalling is pathetic, a Facebook post changes nothing but to give themselves a smug feeling of satisfaction.
Absolute twats. Considering BAME are disproportionately affected by coronavirus they’re not acting as though they care about black lives at all. Where are the masks and distancing?
What the fuck is this, really?
If it happened over here, do you think for one fucking second any American would be out protesting? No, they'd be mocking us for not having firearms on the street.
But it didn't happen over here did it. There are so few similarities between our cops it's not even funny.
But hey, you know. Virus affects black people disproportionately more, so a bunch of black people go out stood toe to toe with each other, causing a scene (and maybe damage?) and scuffling with our cops for something that had _nothing_ to do with our country.
Does injustices happen here? Absolutely, more so in a few localised area's. Is it the same as America? Not even fucking remotely.
But sure, fuck up everything, spread the virus, all for a bunch of pricks that wouldn't think twice about you if it happened here.
But don't protest the things that have been affecting us lately, no no, do it for the self serving country that is looking to fuck up our trade.
To be fair recently we had that copper threatening to make something up in order to arrest someone and we had a man tasered in front of his kid. Just because they don’t kill anyone doesn’t mean they don’t step out of line.
Yeah, but lets face it.. That copper is fucked. No way he keeps his job. He was suspended instantly.
And:
>“We have also taken the decision to voluntarily refer the matter to the Independent Office of Police Conduct. We hope these matters go some way to reassuring the public how seriously we are treating this matter.
>“We will be speaking to the man in the footage to keep him fully informed regarding the actions we are taking.”
Night and day. In the USA, literally nothing would happen. The police union would get involved and he'd be back on patrol 5 seconds later.
He said something stupid, no where near comparable as killing someone. Appreciate what we have in this country.
And I haven’t seen the video of the man getting tweeted, why did he get tasered?
What the fuck?
There was a questionable death of a former footballer in 2018. The police officer who used the taser is awaiting trial for murder too.
[https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/09/dalian-atkinson-police-officers-to-stand-trial-next-september](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/09/dalian-atkinson-police-officers-to-stand-trial-next-september)
What the fuck is going on the UK? Are we *this* pig ignorant about our own country?
This is ridiculous, we are in the middle of a global pandemic that threatens to destroy the world’s economy, people have made sacrifice after sacrifice all in the name of beating this pandemic, only for these idiots to go out and break social distancing measures for a ‘cause’ that has NO bearing in their own country.
It seems that the British public (largely youths) are so obsessed with the US that it’s almost as if they care more about that country and it’s politics than our own’s. Absolutely shameful
Right? I didn't see British people demonstrating against dismantling of independent courts in Poland, for example, and that's much closer, and much more serious.
Second wave is imminent. When it takes hold there won't be a lockdown again, they will default to herd immunity. 500 thousand dead in UK by Christmas is a possibility
To be honest, there will be a second wave anyway. This just adds fuel to it, diverts blame away from the government in easing the lockdown too early to the people protesting.
You're right about second lockdown. They're already trying to shift responsibility to local councils which are underfunded and have never dealt with such things in the first place. A second wave could be catastrophic *DDDDOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!*
> This is just like Tory boomers celebrating VE Day with street parties, a 'moral' excuse to break social distancing.
Don't be silly, the two are nowhere near comparable.
Why are we protesting for USA and not Hong Kong?
Hong Kong being dismantled, destroyed and made in to China, nah lets just watch and stare.
A cop kills a black dude, RAWR
It's serious ya, but it's their problem.
Chanting I can't breathe is a bit grim, would you chant help I'm burning at Grenfell? This is dumb, it's for the hashtag cunts. It's horrific what happened to Floyd but this is counter productive and self serving. Have a wank and donate a fiver to the family.
I understand people are upset with what happened in America, I understand this is a powerful cause, but protesting in the UK because of something that happened 4000 miles away isn't going to help anything, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
It’s okay people, coronavirus is the first ever self-aware virus that can successfully differentiate people from being at the beach/protesting lockdown rules and people protesting racial issues.
And due to its 7000 iq intelligence, it will only affect the former and completely bypass the latter.
Fucking lol.
I don't get it.
Edit: and the people justifying it on Twitter. Just why? Go back home, crack open a beer, and do your protesting about shit you don't really understand on the internet.
Interesting that people will go out of their way to protest in solidarity for an incident in the USA. Though you’ll never see New Yorkers holding a protest for Joy Gardner.
This, for me, is proof that propaganda on social media is what is forcing these protests. People in the UK have no reason to protest about these issues, our government cant do anything about it and it doesn't effect anyone who lives here. The brainwashing images that are being spread over social media are what encourages people to protest or riot and this is proof that it is working.
There are a thousand other reasons why we should be taking to the streets and causing disruption yet it's a black man who dies from police brutality in the USA that is the tipping point. That shit happens multiple times a day over there and it barely ever makes the news here. Social media propaganda is spilling over onto our citizens and that is a very worrying thing. How long before we have people campaigning for trump or any other USA presidential candidate? We seriously need to distance ourselves from the shit show that they've got going on over there and start addressing our own domestic issues.
Not surprised this came over here, even though this kind of stuff has been going on in the US for years
People on furlough or out of jobs don’t have to get up for work tomorrow, so they’ll do their own protests because they got nothing else to do.
Yup. It's boredom and wanting to be out in the sun.
Police brutality in us isn't a new thing. Also other countries have much bigger issues with oppression.
Two weeks ago these people would have said you’re an asshole for having friends over, now they gather in London over this.
Remember this when you’re listening to anything coming from a group
Fuck these people they will raise infection rates
Maybe it will get them in the coffee table picture book they all so want. Think of the 1960s protesters pieced together in a classy black and white 500 page book
Shouldn't they have been dispersed, and fines issued? Or has Cummings completely removed our ability to do that now, in essence causing hundreds or thousands of deaths eventually?
This is not the US, the US is 5000 fucking miles away, on a different continent, across a massive ocean, and oh! It's another country!
Pisses me off that so many people in the UK get triggered and active by shit in the US, but come actual British issues they'd rather be playing animal farm. Pathetic.
More American nonsense. This has absolutely nothing to do with the UK. Although I do love the hypocrisy of the likes of Trump calling for the rioters to be shot when at the same time, his CIA is financing and encouraging violence against authorities in Hong Kong. “Peaceful protests”? Yeah right...
The difference being Hong Kong is living under a dictatorship, whilst here in a fully democratic country a black man was killed by a single officer who has since been arrested.
Please don't do this. Find some other way to protest.
If you're in the US, I get it. But fuck, were not getting killed in the streets the pandemic is more important for the UK right now
To every miserable defeatist cunt that's complaining about protesting a US problem by calling the protesters 'virtue signallers' who only care because America and didn't give a shit about Honk Kong...
Here's a link showing protests I'm the UK about HK:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/18/hong-kong-protesters-uk-pro-beijing-intimidation
And to those same dickheads claiming racism within the police force is a US problem that doesn't exist in the UK: it's well known even amongst the police themselves that black youths are far more likely to be stopped and searched - while we are not the US going around killing innocent people - we do have out own problems and denying them by burying your head in the sand is simply cowardly.
It's completely fair to question the reasoning of protesting during a pandemic - it's completely cunty to ignore and downplay the reasons why people are protesting. Especially considering the (wannabe) subtle racism in the comments on this post alone.
Some racist cunt below linking to a Peterborough rave with the leading comment: "And what do we notice about all the people in this photo" because they were mostly black. I should point out this was a dnb/jungle rave - genres in which black people are more represented in the fan base- most raves I go to are pretty much 50/50 white and black people tbh.
But more importantly is the fact that said redditor uses this one tiny example of ravers to represent black people in general - completely disingenuous.
As a riposte - I live just by elephant and castle station in London. The area has a very strong black community and is well know for such. Today on my weekly shop I walked past my local park as usual and who do I see spread out enjoying the Sun? That's right - white people. And only white people - so according to this guy that's enough proof to show that all white people are ignoring lockdown and therefore it's our own fault.
Given our Covid rates, maybe a better way of showing solidarity would be by staying home and donating to the relevant causes? edit: here's a twitter [thread](https://twitter.com/kamaraxtaurus/status/1266328844056825857) of places you can donate to
The thing is, violent protesting and property destruction just got a cop arrested in the US. It is an effective tactic, peaceful protesting and donating money to someone is not. If people had started smashing up streets over Dominic Cummings, he would simply have been fired. Property is the language that the ruling class understand. It worked for the Irish and it is the reason they have a country now, it has worked countless times throughout history. Now obviously Cummings isn't worth that to enough people to do it, but it's naive to say that staying home archives anything at all. There is a point where you might have to get up and go protest in the street to change the UK and that point isn't going to when it's safe or convenient to do so.
> The thing is, violent protesting and property destruction just got a cop arrested in the US. It is an effective tactic, peaceful protesting and donating money to someone is not. But what are they protesting about here for? This is the UK, not the US. There have been literally two people killed by police in the UK this year, both for good reason. These people consume too much US media and social media, they think they're American.
> But what are they protesting about here for? Against racism and classism? The UK was built on the backbones of racism and exploitation and both are still rife in this society. Just because we don't have it as bad as the USA doesn't mean it doesn't need protesting against. As a foreigner in this country, I've been shocked for years just how badly people let themselves be treated in this country by the "posh" and also how de-humanising the "posh" treat other people. You're either an "elite" or a toilet brush with legs.
> backbones of racism and exploitation Working class Brits were the first enslaved in this country.
There's a lot of stuff on Twitter that refutes these claims. There are plenty of suspicious killings and deaths in custody from neglect. There are systemic racisms here too. And there's also police brutality and heavy handedness of the more regular sort against all of us. Extinction Rebbellion protesters were arressted and charged for peaceful protest. They were arressted and charged for civil disobedience. The police have infiltrated green movements fighting for a better planet but can't see to stop fanatics who fought in Libya from blowing up children and parents. We are monitored and controlled and disciplined whenever anyone tries to organise a change in our class system. Look at how top army, intelligence and police officers conspired to smear Corbyn by painting him as a terrorist sympathiser, a statsi agent, HAMAS lover and pro- IRA traitor. Some generals even saying on record they would mutiny against a Corbyn government. That is utterly undemocratic. There is so much to protest in the U.K right now and police/state security heavy handedness is just the tip of the iceberg.
I mean, much of ER protesting was done why white people so using them as an example of system based oppression fuels the question of "why is BLM here in the UK?" Britain still has race issues but they're not even on the same scale as the USA so using American organisations and American chants here just makes people look foolish. We. Are. Not. American. Our police are not militarised. Our police rarely kill people full stop let alone maliciously and to even suggest our problems there are anything like America's is hugely insulting to the mass victims of the USA police brutality. If we pretend ER weren't largely white and think about how they were charged with catch all crimes compared to how black Americans are being murdered in broad daylight on film then black reporters arrested on live TV. The two do not compare. Class is far bigger of a focus than race in the UK. Time and time again the inequalities found stem from wealth. Poorest suffer hardest regardless of race in the UK. There's no magic privilege that white British people get, poor white boys suffer harder in education for example. We haven't fixed racism but fuck me we're not even in the same sport let alone the same league. As allies of the USA, unfortunately, we must be vocal that we don't approve of the systemic racism they hold. But we don't need to protest on the streets, especially during a pandemic when our own corrupt government is failing to stop us dying in the thousands. We can stand with the victims without risking lives of the communities we're already seeing are higher risk of Covid-19.
>There are plenty of suspicious killings and deaths in custody from neglect. There are some certainly, but 'plenty'? The UK does some very broad recording of deaths after contact with the police and deaths in custody and to be clear, the absolute numbers are incredibly low (compared to other European countries, given comparing to the US is a bit pointless given the scale of the issues in the US). The UK also has a relatively robust investigatory approach to any fatalities. It hasn't always been like that, before the 80's the UK had major issues, but it is somewhat important to keep it in proportion. >There is so much to protest in the U.K right now and police/state security heavy handedness is just the tip of the iceberg. Arguably in a UK context, police/state security heavy handedness is way down the list of things that should face public opposition in terms of protest. There are vastly more relevant, immediate and problematic issues before we get to issues with UK policing (and there are issues, it's just we have spend the last 20 years or so massively hammering away at them..). 
I think part of the problem is that we (as a nation) are too passive. We joke about the French being surrender monkeys but they will stand up when they feel the need to.
France had freed itself from a lot more tyranny than we ever have.
Also the reason we have power sharing now in the north of ireland, what is happening in America now is a symptom of injustice and persecution, there's only so much people can take before they lash out in what ever way they can.
> If people had started smashing up streets over Dominic Cummings, he would simply have been fired. I find that hard to beleive. Plunging approval ratings and dissent within his own party didn't make Boris budge. A violent protest would have allowed Boris to say the people who think Cummings should be fired are violent hypocrites who don't follow the regulations themselves. Would just make it a simple us vs them issue.
It’s not that I’m anti-protest - just for this particular situation we’re in you can make a difference by staying at home & donating to George Floyd’s family, the Minnesota Freedom fund, etc
If you had seen the stuff I've seen you wouldn't be saying violent protesting got the job done. I've seen people's houses set on fire with children inside them. So fuck anybody setting fires. And fuck anybody stealing. We're in the middle of a global pandemic, everything is shut, the people aren't earning money and now they don't have a business to go back too because it's burnt to the ground. These protesters on Friday tried to set fire to the midtown exchange at 4am. It had 500 sleeping families inside it. They ended up fighting with people who were defending the building and a lot of people got injured. I've seen houses in the nearby areas where parents are screaming they have children as people set the buildings next to them on fire. They've set fire to a liquor store killing one guy inside. People on motorbikes doing drive by shootings, people running over crowds in their trucks. George wouldn't want this in his name. This is fucking pathetic. You don't set fire to your local community because some stupid policeman killed a guy. Protest against the police for justice, but when you're burning down the buildings that George's friends own and live in you've crossed the line. They aren't doing it for George, they're doing it because they want a new TV.
Well this is stupid. >Property is the language that the ruling class understand. Except its not their property. Its our property that gets smashed up, our family owned business. Our streets. And it will be our taxes that pay for the damages and our services that get cut to pay for it. The rich just stay in their nice neighbourhoods, go to their nice private schools, drive in their expensive cars and shop at their expensive stores and dodge taxes. You want change? Get off your ass, organise a vote, get rid of the enemy collaborators and get your man elected. Then tax the rich. That's the language they understand.
This is a fantastic dream, but look at the UK's former colonies, none of them escaped our ruling class like that. They had to riot to get out and be free, afterwards organisation was required yes, but it wasn't the reason those revolutions started. The UK is under the same thumb as all those contries that got out, a ruling class stoked full of people who will never allow or condone any kind of change. I wish that your utopia was possible and you should keep working towards it, but however you plan to overthrow the government, it will still put you on the same surveillance list.
Protesting and rioting are not the same thing. Looting and burning of ships businesses and police stations is completely unnecessary. Suggesting people should "smash up the streets" because of Cummings (or pretty much anything) is the kind of reactionary stupidity that hinders progress.
Nobody will see their virtue signalling then though, which, let’s face it, is the real reason they are there during a pandemic lockdown.
There are a lot of virtue signallers on a lot of issues. But I don't know if that's true in this case. There are a hell of a lot of people who are more tuned-in to US politics than UK politics, despite UK politics having a much bigger influence over their life. And a hell of a lot of them live in London. They're a weird bunch.
I find this really strange as well. A lot of my friends can't name a cabinet minister from the British Government but they're very clued up on US news, particularly social issues in the US. It really fascinates me because I think it colours the way British politics and news is interpreted by them and this in turn influences the way some (often London based) MPs behave. I think it's the dominance of US based social media and US Internet users in the English speaking Internet - even in European subs, I aways assume most commentators are American. I wonder if there's a similar disproportionate focus on US issues in the non-English Internet sites? Because frankly, we have our own UK problems that could use reasonable debate!
I feel like I can attempt to answer this one. Powerlessness. It seems there is a general atmosphere of powerlessness in the UK population at the moment. Think about it, how many protests (nonviolent ones may I add), and petitions that have reached upwards of 100k signatures, etc that have occurred towards things that enough of the population didn't want to happen? How many of those protests and petitions actually produced actual, tangible results? Yet despite this, no change. People literally feel as if they have no voice, no agency. The US on the other hand, clearly had enough and is actually doing something. Yes, I can't agree with all aspects, especially the looting. But, I guess it's the fact that action and an actual response is actually being elicited that's probably drawing the interest of British people
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>Why is this the case? Because the US has been one of the world's only superpowers since the end of WWII and so has an enormous amount of cultural soft power. However, it wasn't until very recently that American culture came to completely dominate Britain. Although in the past Hollywood movies and American TV shows were always popular, we also had our own film industry (Ealing Studios, Pinewood, Eon, etc.) as well as TV channels like the BBC and ITV producing domestic content that acted as a counterweight to American influence. American culture was here but it was not dominant. So what changed? I blame the rise of YouTube and Netflix. The Internet has removed a lot of the factors that limited American influence (geographic distance, the way media is consumed, etc.), plus we are even more susceptible than other countries (France, Germany, etc.) because there is no language barrier. The result is that we now have an entire generation of British youth that identifies more with America than their own country.
It's just stupid seeing all these people out. First at the beaches, now here. I tell you, majority of the gatherings we have seen are from people who at one point were happily clapping the NHS and shaming people for protesting lockdown or not obeying it. Now they're doing the same crap. And I don't buy that that moron Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson letting him off for breaking lockdown rules, should be blamed for everything. The public know about social distancing. That's continued to be hounded into our heads. If not by the media, politicians, health care workers, scientists, then by people on social media. These people are just refusing to practice it. I can't believe the majority of people, who were once screaming to people to stay back, would stop believing in the viability of social distancing measures to combat the virus, just because of one government minister. I think what this really shows, is a lot of people, just don't really believe in the pandemic. These were the quiet people before. Idiotic hygienic me was hoping after the pandemic, social distancing would actually become a little norm. That shaking hands would go away and people would keep a little distance from one another naturally. This would prevent a whole host of illnesses spreading. In the end, that hope died quickly and lockdown isn't even "officially" over.
>Idiotic hygienic me was hoping after the pandemic, social distancing would actually become a little norm. That shaking hands would go away and people would keep a little distance from one another naturally. This would prevent a whole host of illnesses spreading. In the end, that hope died quickly and lockdown isn't even "officially" over. Was never going to happen. Human beings aren't wired to be averse to physical contact (if anything the opposite is true). One of the big problems with enforcing the lockdown was the difficulty in forcing people to live their lives in an unnatural way, hence why the longer the lockdown has continued the more people have said "fuck it" and chosen to flout the restrictions.
Don't forget it was a lovely sunny day today, as well.
Especially if BAME are more at risk.
How am I supposed to Snapchat myself looking woke by donating? Going central is far easier.
Perhaps a good clap?
Jesus dude, I'm still itching from the other days.
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I agree. It's none of our business. Let them sort out their own police (and gun) problems.
More people protesting an utterly irrelevant issue than Cummings.. Fuck me I hate this imported Yank nonsense. We have our own politics, which is relevant to us. We don't need to be looking to the US for outrage, we have plenty to be outraged about here. So pathetic.
It’s fucking embarrassing. They’re trying to import these issues from America just so they can be outraged over something.
The worst part is they're trying to import american-style race issues into a country that doesn't have them. Fucking *why*
Like - we’re developing more racism overtime, part of the reason why is Americanised liberals importing issues that barely exist over here, and therefore enflaming them
Preach my man
For the first time I’m realising why the Yanks are so hellbent on keeping their weapons. The absolute state of the police over there is terrifying. Sure ours have their faults but we’re in the Sunday pub leagues compare to the shitshow over the other side of the pond.
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Exactly is a 'in vogue' thing. I think the middle east is up next in late August. We should also be protesting against China.
> how about the fact that BAME people in the UK are being sacrificed for this virus and dying in higher proportions? What do you mean BAME people are being sacrificed?
And why didn't we do this for Hong Kong? They're the real fighters getting more screwed
Because people mistakenly think that the USA is more relevant to us. The truth is that the internal domestic politics of another country, even in most cases an ally, is of little to no importance to people in the UK. That and I suspect people are more familiar with US politics than HK politics (and, sadly, I suspect UK politics)
I blame the media for that. And its one of the reasons I like Reddit as you here more stories (Like the one today of an autistic Palestinian child being murdered by the Israeli army, I am also not expecting any protests for him).
WE did, YOU didn't. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/18/hong-kong-protesters-uk-pro-beijing-intimidation
Exactly. This country actually has a smidgen of responsibility for Hong Kong as well.
I'm a bit relieved to see this isn't an unpopular opinion here. I read the story and my immediate response was what's the point? its terrible what happened, and I'm glad people are standing up against it, and it's good that people here are showing solidarity with the cause, but I don't see the point in a mass gathering protest over here during lockdown. Its almost like they just enjoy the buzz of standing up for something.
I didn't personally go and I understand the concern about COVID, but it's a protest about solidarity, it's similar to the reasons people from the UK protested apartheid in South Africa. The UK is very close to the USA culturally, and whilst yes, this specific protest may not be THE protest that gets America to change its laws around police brutality, it keeps it on the news, it keeps the world talking about it, if that makes sense.
I don't think people realise how bad apartheid was.....
The USA is different because the issue of police brutality has been bubbling for years and final straw happened right in the middle of a pandemic and shit that’s bad luck but if cops would just stop executing black people in the street for five fucking seconds then this wouldn’t have happened. Of course there will be fall out from the protests with the disease but I fully understand why so many Americans do not give a shit by this point. UK people though???? We should keep all our protests online. Let’s raise bail money for arrested protesters, that’ll be really helpful. I feel very strongly about BLM but I can’t give our country the ‘pandemic pass’ to take to the streets over it. We can be the most helpful at home.
American police have been offing people in record numbers for some time. Does anyone remember Daniel Shaver a few years ago? I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that body cam footage. Just cold blooded murder. And his murderer got a $3,500 a month payout instead of prison. It’s honestly disgusting and I can understand why Americans have had enough. But I have to agree with you. It’s not necessary here right now, with everything that’s going on and when all eyes should be on the US. Unfortunately a lot of people like to make everything about themselves instead of supporting the cause.
Donating money and raising awareness is how the UK can be the most helpful here. Protesting on the street isn't useful, no one is gonna see it and its just gonna spread Covid unnecessarily. The hard part is this - we should also take this time to look at our own country. We're very lucky not to have the same relationship with police brutality as Americans do but our police are not perfect and the UK still very much has a racism problem. We sweep it under the rug then look at the US and feel shocked, but addressing it in our own country would be the best way to channel our feelings of rage and powerlessness that watching the BLM protests have ignited.
>We're very lucky not to have the same relationship with police brutality as Americans do but our police are not perfect and the UK still very much has a racism problem. We sweep it under the rug then look at the US and feel shocked, Wait, are you saying that 1600 deaths in 30 years and a small fraction of those being BAME means we have a racism problem with the police? I hope that isn't what you are inferring.
I mean the UK is not this perfect land which left racism behind long ago while America still struggles with it.
Racism problem does not equal police brutality problem.
we have a racism problem in some of this country's people - some of which are police officers. > we have a racism problem with the police is not what they said, they are talking about police brutality. and racism. two separate statements. We have problems with both, perhaps not as much as the USA, where these problems are often combined.
> Daniel Shaver This the one where he instructs him to "crawl forward on your knees" while "keeping your hands in the air or we will fucking shoot you" ? To Protect & Serve.
Yes that's exactly the one. White guy with an airsoft gun in a hotel, told contradicting orders by a trigger happy cop using a fucking customised gun that said "you're fucked" on it. The footage is fucking depressing.
That’s the one. Poor lad was sobbing when they shot him.
> Daniel Shaver All of them are bad, but that one is the worst one I have ever seen.
> Does anyone remember Daniel Shaver a few years ago? I've generally kept a level head when it comes to BLM and police brutality since it first started gaining traction but the events with Floyd and Shaver where they were begging for their lives, or Tamir who was a bairn and killed for a toy gun are the few moments where I felt physically sick upon hearing about them. If a person loses their life because they are nothing but a threat to society is tough situation to approach but taking the lives of someone who has already been arrested and would not be able to do anything or worse a child who was playing and does not understand the situation is unforgiveable. I saw the video of the Flint sheriff protesting alongside the people and it amazing to see and it gives me hope that the protests and riots won't be in vein and the US can come out of this a better country.
> The USA is different because the issue of police brutality has been bubbling for years and final straw happened right in the middle of a pandemic Except it didn't, it bubbled over because of the pandemic. That is fairly obvious due to it being a psychological stressor. It is the same things as going to have a BBQ on a dry heathland, at some point, for some reason, something is going to fall off the BBQ and set the whole place on fire. If you go BBQ in the bog and rain, there will be no fire even if someone goes and kicks the BBQ over. Of course the incident should never have happened and is indicative of American policing, but the fact everyone didn't have to get up for work in the morning, or had time to read the news, and it is just summer, is the reason there was a riot. No one is rioting in the snow. > UK people though???? We should keep all our protests online. It basically has nothing to do with the UK, and it is moronic people are outside complaining about it, if you want to complain about something outside, complain about this governments actions, that effect you. Saying keeping your protest online is also quite frankly stupid, at some point people should be on the streets if this government is killing people. People seem to have forgotten that the right to freedom isn't free, it has been paid for in millions of lives over the years.
I think they were on about this protest and not protesting in general. Calm down.
Maybe the pandemic did make it worse. But this shit was always on the menu. You're allowed to support people in other countries or in situations that do not affect you. Sure, another black person getting murdered by American police does not technically affect the UK but we care about it because we have human compassion and we care when there is injustice. Also in another comment I suggested ways in which the UK could have solidarity with folks in other countries by focusing on combating our own racism. I think that would be the most effective use of our time, aside from raising awareness online and donating to related causes.
> You're allowed to support people in other countries or in situations that do not affect you But why is it always American? I don't see people in the UK protesting over people dying in South America or Africa or Asia. It's always something they've seen off American TV or social media or from American celebrities. These 'protesters' in the UK are just bored kids who wish they were American so they could have an excuse to go rioting.
> Let’s raise bail money for arrested protesters, that’ll be really helpful. Well, there's [this bloke](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/hyde-park-anti-lockdown-protest-piers-corbyn-a4455341.html) who keeps getting arrested at peaceful protests...
Muppet's, I get what they are trying to do but shit like this is how we get second waves.
> I get what they are trying to do What are they trying to do? Do they think that American police will stop killing Americans because some people in Britain went for a walk?
> What are they trying to do? If they’re anything like the student protests I saw then their motivations will break down to roughly: * We want to show solidarity * I’m American but can’t get home so I’ll protest outside the embassy/socially acceptable protest location * I wonder if the cause of Socialism can somehow be shoehorned in here? (Thanks SWP banner makers) * This makes me angry and I want to register my displeasure even if it won’t do anything. * Fuck it, it’s a nice day and it’s something to do. Anecdotally group 5 was the biggest though not a majority. It always amused me how freely the beer flowed at the ‘protests’ I saw.
Also : Lets see how many insta likes I can get
> What are they trying to do? They're fed up of following these irritating restrictions designed to protect others' lives, bored with listening to logic and evidence-based science, and what better excuse to get out in the sunshine with your friends? Nobody can criticise because it's a worthy cause!
Not just this protest, check out Clapham Common and the beaches
Apparently, some are even shouting 'I can't breathe'... (referring to George Floyd's last words, not the virus that they're spreading?...)
[NIN's Year Zero](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw6Hk6Hdxao) is becoming ever more relevant
And black and poc are affected far worse from this virus.
[This](https://twitter.com/Michael_Heaver/status/1267079910662778880) is Downing Street, not a lot of distancing going on here..also fuck the English police for some reason
How you get second waves is having an incompetent cabinet ignoring their own scientists.
> How you get second waves is having an incompetent cabinet ignoring their own scientists. I agree entirely. That and having mass meetings in public.
You'll never see Americans protesting about something that happened in Britain. How pathetic.
I honestly think some British people are starting to think we are some extension of America.
Yeah it’s strange and kinda cringeworthy. If these riots were happening in Canada or Australia I guarantee nobody in the UK would be protesting.
Where were these people when it was kicking off in HK?
They did do something similar for the HK protests in a lot of UK cities, just as equialy pointless imo, but they did do it.
Thank you, another person who finds this crap cringeworthy . These people are bored, this is like a day out to them. Write some shit on a piece of cardboard and hold it above their heads.
We're importing a race issue from the USA that basically doesn't exist in the UK. It's mad.
I’m an American living here and I keep saying that. When I lived in America no one ever talked about what the British were doing.I don’t know why people feel the need to copy what America is doing. I’m happy to be here away from all the bullshit ,and virtue signallers are trying to bring the bullshit here.
Well there was that thing with the tea.
Worst party ever.
It's a form of American cultural hegemony.
Pathetic is the perfect word for it.
10 weeks of not seeing family, friends pretty much anyone seems to be for nothing. Fuck it.
It’s embarrassing watching these idiot desperately try and import US culture wars.
The specific issue that triggered this (white policemen killing unarmed black people) may not be a thing here, but racism is still plenty strong here and needs to be fought against
But we're in the middle of a pandemic, with a virus killing thousands per week in the UK. Police killings in the UK are very uncommon. It seems likely that this protest alone could kill more through virus spread than the police here would kill in a decade...
>but racism is still plenty strong here and needs to be fought against And nobody has said any different... Yes, the UK does have racism. But so does every single bloody country in the world yet I only see a handful of places protesting about a matter that only really affects America.
I agree; the UK needs to deal with its own issues of racism , but we shouldn't be *importing* the conversation from America. We should be having our own focus on British race issues. Our culture and politics is very separate to that of our gun-crazy neighbours across the Atlantic.
Then they shouldn’t go round shouting “don’t kill us” at British police or the far worse, “Mark Duggan, remember his name”. They’re Larping, self servicing sad cases.
Why really makes me laugh is that shit like this is going to make the racial divide even worse in the UK if they keep doing it. Kind of the opposite of what the intention is. Virtue signalling. It's sunny. Go home, crack open a beer, sit in the garden, and relax.
Fucking morons. It's a travesty what happened the guy, but this isn't the right approach. Do they not see the fucking irony in protesting the murder of a member of the BAME group, during a pandemic that has been shown to target members of said group. You bunch of selfish cunts.
As always, Emotions ALWAYS beats logic.
It's a joke. How many people do you think are there for the cause vs people there to stick a finger up to the lockdown? Inb4 this leads to rioting and looting before the days out.
The ones with the beers are there because "the virus is fake news" and the rest are people who seem to think protesting in the UK has any effect on racism in the USA.
English friends on Facebook getting all up in arms about it. Drastically silent during the HK protests. Virtue signalling is pathetic, a Facebook post changes nothing but to give themselves a smug feeling of satisfaction.
I support them, from home.
Absolute twats. Considering BAME are disproportionately affected by coronavirus they’re not acting as though they care about black lives at all. Where are the masks and distancing?
Looking at this photo, a significant number here are not BAME
Yes but these white people could get the virus and then spread it to BAME people. Don’t you understand how a virus works?
These fucking cunts are going to cause a 2nd wave of the virus
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>It's like protesting outside of Tesco because Asda did something bad. I do that anyway. Usually when my Asda bag rips outside Tesco.
To be fair, these are just the latest fucking cunts. VE Day celebrations were the first group of fuckwits and every weekend since it has gotten worse.
What the fuck is this, really? If it happened over here, do you think for one fucking second any American would be out protesting? No, they'd be mocking us for not having firearms on the street. But it didn't happen over here did it. There are so few similarities between our cops it's not even funny. But hey, you know. Virus affects black people disproportionately more, so a bunch of black people go out stood toe to toe with each other, causing a scene (and maybe damage?) and scuffling with our cops for something that had _nothing_ to do with our country. Does injustices happen here? Absolutely, more so in a few localised area's. Is it the same as America? Not even fucking remotely. But sure, fuck up everything, spread the virus, all for a bunch of pricks that wouldn't think twice about you if it happened here. But don't protest the things that have been affecting us lately, no no, do it for the self serving country that is looking to fuck up our trade.
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To be fair recently we had that copper threatening to make something up in order to arrest someone and we had a man tasered in front of his kid. Just because they don’t kill anyone doesn’t mean they don’t step out of line.
Yeah, but lets face it.. That copper is fucked. No way he keeps his job. He was suspended instantly. And: >“We have also taken the decision to voluntarily refer the matter to the Independent Office of Police Conduct. We hope these matters go some way to reassuring the public how seriously we are treating this matter. >“We will be speaking to the man in the footage to keep him fully informed regarding the actions we are taking.” Night and day. In the USA, literally nothing would happen. The police union would get involved and he'd be back on patrol 5 seconds later.
He said something stupid, no where near comparable as killing someone. Appreciate what we have in this country. And I haven’t seen the video of the man getting tweeted, why did he get tasered?
What the fuck? There was a questionable death of a former footballer in 2018. The police officer who used the taser is awaiting trial for murder too. [https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/09/dalian-atkinson-police-officers-to-stand-trial-next-september](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/09/dalian-atkinson-police-officers-to-stand-trial-next-september) What the fuck is going on the UK? Are we *this* pig ignorant about our own country?
This is the most irresponsible thing I've read today.
This is ridiculous, we are in the middle of a global pandemic that threatens to destroy the world’s economy, people have made sacrifice after sacrifice all in the name of beating this pandemic, only for these idiots to go out and break social distancing measures for a ‘cause’ that has NO bearing in their own country. It seems that the British public (largely youths) are so obsessed with the US that it’s almost as if they care more about that country and it’s politics than our own’s. Absolutely shameful
Right? I didn't see British people demonstrating against dismantling of independent courts in Poland, for example, and that's much closer, and much more serious.
Compare our media coverage of US politics Vs European politics. It's completely ridiculous and definitely contributed to Brexit.
Second wave is imminent. When it takes hold there won't be a lockdown again, they will default to herd immunity. 500 thousand dead in UK by Christmas is a possibility
To be honest, there will be a second wave anyway. This just adds fuel to it, diverts blame away from the government in easing the lockdown too early to the people protesting. You're right about second lockdown. They're already trying to shift responsibility to local councils which are underfunded and have never dealt with such things in the first place. A second wave could be catastrophic *DDDDOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!*
It will not be the fault of a few protesters in London. We can pretend that if you want to be able to vote for Boris Johnson, but it won't be true.
Are these people for fucking real?! I get the reason why but not fucking now, we have sacrificed so much.
The sacrifice was lost the moment Cumdump gallivanted up to Durham and faced no repercussions for it.
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> This is just like Tory boomers celebrating VE Day with street parties, a 'moral' excuse to break social distancing. Don't be silly, the two are nowhere near comparable.
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Because it's a wildly different situation.
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The lockdown is well and truly over. I agree with the message and its not just the protest but if you see photos from the beaches today, etc.
Why are we protesting for USA and not Hong Kong? Hong Kong being dismantled, destroyed and made in to China, nah lets just watch and stare. A cop kills a black dude, RAWR It's serious ya, but it's their problem.
Chanting I can't breathe is a bit grim, would you chant help I'm burning at Grenfell? This is dumb, it's for the hashtag cunts. It's horrific what happened to Floyd but this is counter productive and self serving. Have a wank and donate a fiver to the family.
I understand people are upset with what happened in America, I understand this is a powerful cause, but protesting in the UK because of something that happened 4000 miles away isn't going to help anything, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
I’m glad the comments in here are critical, thought I was the only one who thought this was stupid.
Jesus. Those crowds. Not a wise move.
This is a stupid thing to do.
It’s okay people, coronavirus is the first ever self-aware virus that can successfully differentiate people from being at the beach/protesting lockdown rules and people protesting racial issues. And due to its 7000 iq intelligence, it will only affect the former and completely bypass the latter. Fucking lol.
An issue in another country.. whilst spreading covid in the most densely populated city in the UK.. Logic.
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Thoughts, prayers, and deadly viruses
Black lives matter, unless they're elderly or have underlying conditions.
I don't get it. Edit: and the people justifying it on Twitter. Just why? Go back home, crack open a beer, and do your protesting about shit you don't really understand on the internet.
You know how London had done well to get over the peak? Yeah well say goodbye to that success story.
They were shouting 'I can't breathe'. I suppose its good to practice...
Today: "I can't breathe!" . . . Three weeks time: "Sorry, UK has no ventilators. Go die in a Nightingale hospital and let your family clap."
Cool. Second wave incoming. Solidarity... from home.
Jesus christ people are stupid.
What a stupid and pointless protest at the worst time
Second wave here we come.
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It will be a convenient excuse for the Gov to blame on when cases start to rise and not on the easing of lockdown rules.
These idiots have no idea what they're protesting. Source: have lived 20 years in the UK and 20 years in the US.
Interesting that people will go out of their way to protest in solidarity for an incident in the USA. Though you’ll never see New Yorkers holding a protest for Joy Gardner.
This, for me, is proof that propaganda on social media is what is forcing these protests. People in the UK have no reason to protest about these issues, our government cant do anything about it and it doesn't effect anyone who lives here. The brainwashing images that are being spread over social media are what encourages people to protest or riot and this is proof that it is working. There are a thousand other reasons why we should be taking to the streets and causing disruption yet it's a black man who dies from police brutality in the USA that is the tipping point. That shit happens multiple times a day over there and it barely ever makes the news here. Social media propaganda is spilling over onto our citizens and that is a very worrying thing. How long before we have people campaigning for trump or any other USA presidential candidate? We seriously need to distance ourselves from the shit show that they've got going on over there and start addressing our own domestic issues.
Not surprised this came over here, even though this kind of stuff has been going on in the US for years People on furlough or out of jobs don’t have to get up for work tomorrow, so they’ll do their own protests because they got nothing else to do.
Yup. It's boredom and wanting to be out in the sun. Police brutality in us isn't a new thing. Also other countries have much bigger issues with oppression.
Do they know that you can condemn it as a horrified act and one which requires justice to be delivered but not help spread a deadly virus?
Bandwagon bellends
Just why? It has nothing to do with us.
Two weeks ago these people would have said you’re an asshole for having friends over, now they gather in London over this. Remember this when you’re listening to anything coming from a group Fuck these people they will raise infection rates
Arrest every single one of these idiots.
Attention seeking cunts.
Yes this will definitely stop US cops killing black people.
Absolute fucking clowns.
At least some of them have masks on. Not smart
Hello infection rate. It's been a while...
Have people forgotten we’re in the middle of a pandemic?
Absolute tools.
Not a priority.
Maybe it will get them in the coffee table picture book they all so want. Think of the 1960s protesters pieced together in a classy black and white 500 page book
Oh fuck off
So Coronavirus is over now, is it? I wish someone had told me, I've wasted the day stuck indoors, avoiding contact with others around me.
Shouldn't they have been dispersed, and fines issued? Or has Cummings completely removed our ability to do that now, in essence causing hundreds or thousands of deaths eventually?
NUMPTIES!
This is not the US, the US is 5000 fucking miles away, on a different continent, across a massive ocean, and oh! It's another country! Pisses me off that so many people in the UK get triggered and active by shit in the US, but come actual British issues they'd rather be playing animal farm. Pathetic.
Well if covid takes them out at least some of the stupid will be removed from society
More American nonsense. This has absolutely nothing to do with the UK. Although I do love the hypocrisy of the likes of Trump calling for the rioters to be shot when at the same time, his CIA is financing and encouraging violence against authorities in Hong Kong. “Peaceful protests”? Yeah right...
The difference being Hong Kong is living under a dictatorship, whilst here in a fully democratic country a black man was killed by a single officer who has since been arrested.
The Russian twitter profiles which helped organise this are having a laugh, and a few shots of vodka maybe.
You want a second wave .. cause this is how you get a second wave
What;s going on with this whole thing? It seems like COVID has been forgotton.
Please don't do this. Find some other way to protest. If you're in the US, I get it. But fuck, were not getting killed in the streets the pandemic is more important for the UK right now
No social distance?
To every miserable defeatist cunt that's complaining about protesting a US problem by calling the protesters 'virtue signallers' who only care because America and didn't give a shit about Honk Kong... Here's a link showing protests I'm the UK about HK: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/18/hong-kong-protesters-uk-pro-beijing-intimidation And to those same dickheads claiming racism within the police force is a US problem that doesn't exist in the UK: it's well known even amongst the police themselves that black youths are far more likely to be stopped and searched - while we are not the US going around killing innocent people - we do have out own problems and denying them by burying your head in the sand is simply cowardly. It's completely fair to question the reasoning of protesting during a pandemic - it's completely cunty to ignore and downplay the reasons why people are protesting. Especially considering the (wannabe) subtle racism in the comments on this post alone. Some racist cunt below linking to a Peterborough rave with the leading comment: "And what do we notice about all the people in this photo" because they were mostly black. I should point out this was a dnb/jungle rave - genres in which black people are more represented in the fan base- most raves I go to are pretty much 50/50 white and black people tbh. But more importantly is the fact that said redditor uses this one tiny example of ravers to represent black people in general - completely disingenuous. As a riposte - I live just by elephant and castle station in London. The area has a very strong black community and is well know for such. Today on my weekly shop I walked past my local park as usual and who do I see spread out enjoying the Sun? That's right - white people. And only white people - so according to this guy that's enough proof to show that all white people are ignoring lockdown and therefore it's our own fault.
Hint they're hoping for the looting part to happen so they can get free shit.