Western Daily Press (Saturday)
RACE ROW HITS RURAL VILLAGE
ARACE row has broken out in a Wiltshire village after a parish council refused to allow teenagers to use a telephone box for a Black Lives Matter display – with one local claiming it would not serve the “broader community”.
Youngsters in Urchfont – which has a population of about 1,000 – launched a petition to post information in the box following the death of George Floyd.
Members of the group ‘Youth of Urchfont’ made impassioned pleas to the local parish council and secured the backing of some members.
But their plan for the ‘historical information point’ was eventually turned down by five votes to three – sparking the race row.
Emily Kinnaird, from Youth of Urchfont, told the council meeting: “Me and my friends thought it would be beneficial if Urchfont showed its support for the black community.
“I think it is important to use education to raise awareness of racism, especially in predominantly white Wiltshire.”
But one member of the public, who joined via Zoom, said: “While not mentioned in the current proposal, Black Lives Matter, a patently political movement, is clearly the catalyst – a movement that is demonstrably contentious and of itself offers little to enhance the lives of the Urchfont community.
“Both the previous and current request/s clearly indicate that it serves the particular interests of a specific group and, therefore, regardless of merit, does not meet the criteria of applying to the broader community.”
Campaign group ‘BLM in the Stix’ is now using the issue in the village as an example of supposed rural racism.
It said: “A group of young people in Wiltshire approached their local council to request turning a community phone box into a display on racism and were met with opposition that the topic was ‘too political’.”
Parish council chairman, Graham Day, said: “At its meeting on 8th July 2020, Urchfont Parish Council discussed a proposal for a possible use of the High Street telephone box, which is owned by the council.
“A lengthy debate on this matter took place in our established virtual meeting format, with substantial public input both from those present at the meeting and others who had submitted comments to our clerk.
“Urchfont Parish Council is a nonpolitical body comprising 11 volunteer members. It represents the interests of all residents across the parish.”
The idea to transform the phone box in picturesque Urchfont was put forward by Emily and her friends after reading about the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, USA, in May.
The proposal was then discussed at a parish council meeting in July, where its rejection led to the schoolgirl’s mum, Lisa, 53, resigning.
In a speech, Mrs Kinnaird said: “It is clear my own world view is diametrically different from many of the views expressed here tonight.
“I am quite shaken by some of what I have heard – it is clear many have confused the political element of the Black Lives Matter movement with the urgent need to address and confront racism.”
The phone box, painted in a classic red, is seen as a focal point of the village by locals.
The plan to transform it was put out for public consultation after the council was notified – where it was met with a backlash from some residents.
Several villagers emailed the council to make their thoughts known, the contents of which were read out at the meeting and can be viewed online.
One message, signed by six people, said: “We are totally against the usage of the telephone box for political reasons. We believe that The Equal Rights Movement Campaign is not appropriate for a small village.”
Another email added: “The fact of the matter is that the original proposal put forward by Emily simply does not fit in with our ambitions for the phone box.
“It is a personal request (albeit supported by a group of friends now renamed the ‘ Youth of Urchfont’) and, in my opinion, the topic is political and inflammatory.”
A third, signed by two people, said: “In our opinion, the phone box is a vehicle to promote community activities, village commemorations and fund-raising.
“It should not be used as a political platform to air the views of individuals or groups. The other danger is that, if this was permitted to go ahead, there could be a risk of anyone with very strong views defacing or damaging the phone box.”
A proposal titled ‘To propose that the telephone box be used only for local community purposes, as such this proposal covering the wider issue of racism should be rejected’ was then passed by five votes to three at the meeting.
Speaking at her home in the village this week, Mrs Kinnaird said: “The young people doing this felt very passionately about it and, despite lots of pleas to the [people] who run the telephone box and the parish council, their request was rejected.
“It was very sad and a real shame. It probably sent out the wrong message. I think, really, any youth-led initiative should be encouraged and supported by the adults in the village.
“It upset the young people involved, but now we have some great opportunities – we maybe have the opportunity to do a display at
Salisbury Museum, where they can have their voices heard.
“[They can] do something which is actively demonstrating and being anti-racist, rather than quietly nonracist – which is what they wanted to do all along, really.”
In the latest development, the ‘Youth of Urchfont’ has won the support of Dr Anjana Khatwa.
She joined Wessex Museums, which includes Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, to help boost engagement with under-served audiences.
She saw a tweet by ‘BLM in the Stix’ describing what happened in Urchfont and replied: “We would love to explore how to capture their voices through engaging with Wiltshire Museum.”
Online commenters have also had their say on the issue, which appears to have divided people.
One said: “What a shame that the young people’s enthusiasm is not being supported in the village.
“Surely time could be found for their display? This refusal could dissuade them from trying, the next time something needs doing.”