British police take a knee in front of 10 Downing Street while protesters shout F--- Trump, F--- Boris
From WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
A line of Metropolitan Police officers 'took a knee' in tribute to George Floyd today as thousands of protesters gathered outside Downing Street.
At least 15,000 Black Lives Matter protesters including actor John Boyega and singer Liam Payne gathered in London, ignoring social distancing guidelines, as a show of anger against the death of Mr Floyd in the US.
And at least 2,000 of those demonstrated in front of Downing Street, shouting 'take a knee' at Metropolitan Police officers guarding security gates.
Four officers obliged, to the approval of the crowds, who urged other officers to follow the example of their colleagues. The 'take a knee' movement started in the US with NFL star Colin Kaepernick and has become a symbol of anger and solidarity against racism across the world.
In the US, officers recently started taking a knee in support of protesters following days of unrest after Mr Floyd's killing at the hands of police.
There were pockets of anger among the crowd, however, with protesters chanting 'f** Boris' and 'f** Trump'.
At least three missiles were thrown at police lines, with one officer punched and at least one demonstrator arrested. A cameraman was struck by a glass bottle and was pictured having his wound tended to by police.
However, the abuse was sporadic, with the crowd largely shouting down the culprits during the demonstration outside Downing Street.
Huge crowds had gathered in Hyde Park this afternoon as many campaigners wore face coverings and held signs with messages such as 'Please, I can't breathe', 'BLM' and 'Colour ≠ Crime'.
The rally comes as global demonstrations gather pace following the death of 46-year-old black man Mr Floyd who died after white police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck for nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.
Today, Star Wars actor Boyega told the crowd: 'Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain't waiting.'
Police were generally keeping in the background of the protest while their helicopters circled above. Banners included 'Enough is Enough', 'Remember Smiley Culture', 'Remember Cherry Groce', and 'UK is not innocent'.
After leaving Hyde Park, the protesters clambered onto traffic lights as they marched down Park Lane towards Victoria.
They then rallied in Parliament Square in the heart of Westminster where some of the demonstrators climbed up a statue of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.
Bob Marley's Three Little Birds blared out on a loudspeaker. One protester wore a Colin Kaepernick shirt after the black American footballer who started the knee protest in the US. Thousands of demonstrators at times went down on one knee chanting 'George Floyd, George Floyd.'
It comes after UK chief constables joined forces to say they were 'appalled and horrified' by the death and called for 'justice and accountability', while warning those attending protests to do so while maintaining a safe distance.
Separately, anti-racism campaign group Stand Up to Racism is urging Britons to 'take the knee' on their doorsteps at 6pm tonight for a protest against discrimination which is also backing the Black Lives Matter movement.
Boyega, 28, told fellow demonstrators gathered for a Black Lives Matter protest he was 'speaking to you from my heart'. The British actor referenced two other black Americans who controversially died in the US, as well as the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in London in 1993.
He said: 'We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland.
'We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence.'
He added: 'I'm speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this, but f*** that.
'Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process. We don't know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don't know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we're going to make sure that won't be an alien thought to our young ones.
'I need you to understand how painful this s*** is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing and that isn't the case any more, that was never the case any more.'
He urged protesters to remain peaceful as they demonstrated over the death of Mr Floyd.
'It is very, very important that we keep control of this moment. That we make this as peaceful and as organised as possible,' he said.
'Because they want us to mess up, they want us to be disorganised, but not today.
'This message is specifically for black men, black men we need to take care of our black women.
'They are our hearts, they are our future, we cannot demonise our own, we are the pillars of the family.
'Imagine this: a nation that is set up with individual families that are thriving, that are healthy, that communicate, that raise their children in love, have a better rate of becoming better human beings, and that's what we need to create.
'Black men, it starts with you. It's done man, we can't be trash no more.
'We have to be better.
'You lot came today, you left your kids, and when you see your kids they're aimlessly playing, they don't understand what's going on. Today's the day that we remind them that we are dedicated and this is a lifelong dedication.
'Some of you are artists, some of you are bankers, some of you are lawyers, some of you own shop stores.
'You are important, your individual power, your individual right is very, very important, we can all join together to make this a better world.'
Protesters were initially asked to sit two metres apart unless they were in the same household and were told to keep their arms stretched out to ensure social distancing when moving around the park.
However, as numbers grew, many of the protesters were seen standing at close distance as organisers still tried to maintain appropriate spacing.
Protesters chanted 'black lives ... (Read more)
https://twitter.com/Wishfmradio/status/1268233261517504513
https://twitter.com/aamnamohdin/status/1268208957610491908
https://twitter.com/joejsmiddleton/status/1268195141296230400
Submitted 1415 days ago
Latest News
