BLACK LIVES MATTER GOREY PROTEST IS POSTPONED
A TWO HOUR LONG public demonstration that was due to take place yesterday (Monday) afternoon was postponed and took place online instead after organisers feared criminal investigation and further backlash in the spreading of misinformation.
Although a future date for the peaceful protest has not been set out, organisers stand over the need for such an event which was due to involve guest speakers and artistic performances from a variety of backgrounds.
The event was announced a week before it was meant to take place, but in the days that followed, concerns around the hosting of mass gatherings due to the Covid-19 restrictions were highlighted by local councillors among others.
In a statement released on Thursday last, Black Lives Matter Gorey said that it was with regret that the protest was not taking place and asked that those interested in taking part ‘sit tight’ and continue to stand in solidarity and unity with the Black Lives
Matter movement and protesters in America.
Speaking to organisers prior to the postponement, they explained that holding the event on June 8 was specifically planned so that the maximum amount of people could travel to take part but that social distancing and personal hygiene measures and government guidelines would be adhered to.
‘ The riots in America has seen that the protests turned quite confrontational, they’ve escalated and it’s the consequence of peaceful protests being ignored but that’s not the case here. We don’t have the need to be violent or conduct a non-peaceful protest.
‘Hosting this event in Gorey is about solidarity, showing unity and support for the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality and systemic racism in America and in the wider world.
‘It was a protest against the establishment in America, not Ireland but a lot of the establishment has systemic racism in it. It’s this casual racism that is engrained in it so deeply. We see it much less so here than in America but it is still here, such as the system of direct provision for example. Racism pervades every single aspect of society’.
The stationary protest itself aimed to elevate the voices of people of colour and different races, something organisers described as essential.
‘We don’t want to speak over them, and we also wanted to have a minute’s silence where protesters will kneel and raise a fist in solidarity after the he names of all the people who have been killed in America because of police brutality were read out’.
Organisers had planned to mark out areas with chalk two metres apart, and stand over the idea that a safe, socially distanced demonstration could have been possible.
They had also asked protested to wear face masks and included a guide on how to make their own coverings, describing these safety measures as ‘paramount’.
They also said that in their view, showing support in this way was essential, as much as it is essential to make sure that they are actively anti-racist.
‘ The whole point of this is to bring the conversation about racism home. We have the tendency in Ireland and in Europe that we as a society aren’t racist but this is completely untrue. White people have this privilege to not see it and not experience it. I don’t think Ireland is innocent and I think that’s the blindfold that people are wearing right now and people need to be aware,’ organisers said.
Local councillors and other politicians welcomed the postponement of the protest.
Councillor Joe Sullivan said that he would have had no problem welcoming a protest like this taking place in normal times, supporting the sentiments behind the movement, but described the proposed gathering as ‘reckless’ and ‘not advancing any cause’ during the time of Covid-19.