Peaceful protest the best way

The abhorrent incident in Minneapolis has led to the current dismay and anger demonstrated in the numerous marches that continue to extend far beyond the streets of Canterbury.

For more than half a lifetime I have, on occasion, experienced some of this anger through the words of a dear friend who sadly passed away recently.

Born in Trinidad to Jamaican parents he had a distinguished career as a Caribbean educator, retiring as Director of the Diploma in Education. Although born an ocean apart, with skins of a different colour, we shared many childhood experiences and although I would, from time to time, try to engender the spark to rekindle the fire that lit up his childhood it was evident that the scars left from his personal experiences in life were deep. However, his words, often barbed, would fall on the ear as softly as the lilt in his voice.

I feel sure that he would have found amusing the “dockducking” of the Bristol statue, however, he would not have condoned the way in which it was carried out or the actions of the arsonists and looting as witnessed in some states in America. Instead, he preferred not to rewrite history but to continue his work to introduce into the schools’ history syllabus the passages about slavery that schools and universities have chosen to ignore in the past. The calls to remove statues and place names only serve, unwittingly or not, to stoke anger that all too often spills over into violence.

I sincerely hope that all forthcoming marches are peaceful otherwise these demonstrations, instead of being a powerful voice, become counter-productive.

Michael Clark

Meadow Close, Bridge

Driving through the Westgate Towers in Canterbury on Saturday morning, I was appalled to see crowds of young people coming out of the Westgate Gardens into St Peter’s Street waving placards to the effect that “Black Lives Matter”. Of course they do, but what appalled me was the cavalier disregard of government guidelines on physical distancing - these people were shoulder to shoulder. The organisers might like to reflect that in the current situation, this demonstration had the potential to endanger lives.

I might add that I did not see a police presence although I imagine that they had to agree the demonstration. I would have thought that physical distancing at all times would have been a condition of allowing the event.

Peter Osborne

Stour Street, Canterbury