Storm over ‘White Lives Matter’ message in field
A VIDEO circulating on social media appears to show someone dressed in a Ku Klux Klan-style hood stood next to where ‘White Lives Matter’ was painted in huge letters in a public park.
The slogan was painted on to the hill in Bedworth’s Miners Welfare Park sometime on Saturday (June 27) and the video, seen by the Telegraph, appears to show someone in a distinctive pointed white head dress at the bottom of the hill next to the football pitch.
It is not yet known exactly when the writing appeared or who did it, but next to it was the tag ‘JL.’
The Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, is a white supremacist organisation largely in the US.
One group which has spoken about the message’s appearance is Stand Up To Racism Coventry which says they “totally condemn” the actions of whoever is responsible and say “the miners who clubbed together to purchase the park in 1921 would be horrified to see for what purpose their park is being used by racists today”.
They also called on Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to clean away the writing as soon as possible.
The statement from Stand up to Racism Coventry reads: “We totally condemn the painting of ‘White Lives Matter’ on the grass at Bedworth Miners Welfare Park.
“This was not an attempt to highlight any kind of injustice or evidence that white people are discriminated against in the UK.”
They also referenced the video appearing to show someone in a Ku Klux Klan head dress, adding: “The Klu Klux Klan are an avowed white supremacist organisation in the USA who have been responsible in the past for a reign of terror against black communities in the American south, including many public lynchings.
“The remnants of the
KKK still operate in the USA today, but are thankfully a much weaker force than in the past.
“The miners who clubbed together to purchase the park in 1921 would be horrified to see for what purpose their park is being used by racists today. We call on Nuneaton and Bedworth council to remove the offensive graffiti immediately and issue a strong statement condemning far right activity in the area.”
The ‘White Lives Matter’ phrase is controversial and has become more common as a backlash against the Black Lives Matter protests that have been sweeping the globe.
A number of protests have taken place in Coventry and Warwickshire as people take a stand against the treatment of George Floyd, who was killed while being arrested in Minneapolis, in the United States at the end of May.
Coventry City Council has revealed that it spent £9,000 on traffic management for a Black Lives Matter protest after receiving “last minute” notification of the event that brought roads to a standstill.
The demonstration on Sunday, June 9, was attended by 1,000 people, according to organisers, and is the anti-racism movement’s largest rally in the city to date.
While the main gathering in Broadgate passed without incident, hundreds of protesters spilled onto the city’s ring road during a mass march that followed.