City protesters out in force in quest for justice and equality
Over 4,000 protesters took to the streets of Birmingham and many more gathered in towns across the Midlands as feelings ran high during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations
OVER 4,000 protesters took to the streets of Birmingham at the weekend for the Black Lives Matter demonstration – far more than the 1,200 expected.
The protesters were loud and passionate, and made their voices clearly heard, but there were no arrests and no disorder.
However the sheer number of people meant social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic was almost impossible though most protesters were wearing face masks.
A West Midlands police spokesman said: “We appreciate that the gathering was much larger than is allowed by those regulations, but we have consistently said that our approach is to engage, explain and encourage people, and we will only enforce the regulations when absolutely necessary.
“We put in place a proportionate policing plan for this protest, which involved a small number of officers in place to engage with the protesters.”
On Sunday Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol pulled down a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston – and pushed it into the city harbour. The vast majority of Black Lives Matter demonstrations have been largely peaceful and included one in Wolverhampton, which attracted 1,000 people.
However, on Saturday night there were chaotic scenes in London as police officers were hurt during a demo, including one officer who was thrown from a police horse as it bolted. Some Midland Conservative MPs have condemned some of the events that took place during Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend.
Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi said he supported the Black Lives Matter protests and said some people were deliberately trying to discredit them.
He said on Twitter: “The agitators & criminals are using BLM, they are abusing BLM, they will want BLM to fail so they can say ‘we told you so’ Heartbreaking scenes today at the Cenotaph & Whitehall, it is incumbent upon us all to unite black, brown & white in support BLM & call out these criminals.”
Shrewsbury MP Dan Kawczynski tweeted a photograph of the statue of Winston Churchill opposite the House of Commons being cleaned.
He said: “Before starting work today I have come to pause and pay respects to the great man who helped save this nation from the brutality of Hitler’s Germany.”
Jay Singh-Sohal, the Conservative candidate to be West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, posted a photo of Winston Churchill meeting Indian soldiers. He said: “Winston Churchill meeting Sikh soldiers during WW2. He served with Sikhs on the NW frontier (Malakand), so I’m proud to say he is one of my role models. Not racist. But a GREAT leader who ensured we defeated fascism.”
Campaigners have called for Galton Bridge in Smethwick to be renamed due to its links to the slave trade. Samuel Galton Jnr lived in Great Barr Hall and in the 1750s and his family manufactured guns for African traders, who exchanged them for slaves.
This later led to him being disowned by the Quaker Society of Friends after an argument with Thomas Clarkson, a leading anti-slavery campaigner.
Galton Bridge in Smethwick was named in Samuel’s honour. Martin Lynch, of Black Country Stand Up to Racism, said: “Places and buildings that carry the names of people who were involved in the slave trade in various ways must be renamed without any undue delay.”