Black lives matter to all – the fight must go on

Yesterday saw probably the biggest public gathering Portsmouth has seen for several months as Black Lives Matter protesters peacefully made their point in Guildhall Square. They were drawing attention to inequality, injustice and criminal acts perpetrated against black people and people of colour.

As a newspaper we pride ourselves on championing those without a voice.

So it would be remiss of us not to amplify the voices of those who demanded an end to racism, racist practices and inequality. That demand must be met soon, and we will continue to report on struggles faced by those discriminated against.

Among the hundreds yesterday was four-year-old Nala-Paris Mbah who bravely stood at the front of the crowd and made her point.

Consider the question of whether anyone of sound mind could be racist towards little Nala-Paris when yesterday she led the chant: ‘Black lives matter.’

A gut reaction response would be: of course not.

At least, you’d hope that would be the case.

But abuse and violence are just one blend of the poison that is racism.

Entrenched discrimination and societal structures facilitating repression are insidious ills that go beyond the racist shouting abuse in the street.

There are those who say: why protest here when George Floyd who died in a police killing lived his 46 years in America?

The simple answer to that is the politics of marginalisation does not respect borders. It must be fought wherever it rears its ugly head.

Just as appreciation of health workers spread across the globe like wildfire in the coronavirus pandemic, solidarity must too reach around the world.

Yesterday we saw an important stand being made in Portsmouth. The fight continues.