Black Lives Matter - the happy wagon
Black Lives Matter (BLM), whose movement was set up following the unlawful killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012, has arrived in Britain. The now international movement is supposed to be a call for action against the marginalisation of black people.
Yet this important mission is not as straightforward as it seems. Different kinds of activists are getting on the BLM wagon - all with their own little agenda. For example, the latest BLM demo in this country unfolded at London City Airport to "protest about the environmental impact on black people."
Surely the environment has an 'impact' on ALL people, regardless of race?
It appears that what began as a campaign calling for a response to racism is now inspiring a bag of pick-and-mix activists in Britain. It includes numerous groups such as Black Lives Matter UK (not the same as BLM) and regional associations all of whom have relationships with the original US campaign.
One woman posted on Black Lives Matter UK's Facebook page:
"Where are all the Black people in this BLM protest? Looks like the hashtags just been hijacked by people with their own agenda …"
"BLM UK is an amorphous movement with no central leadership," said Sky's Afua Hirsch.
"It has amalgamated a wide range of grievances from black deaths in police custody, to treatment of people in immigration detention and the deaths in the Mediterranean during the refugee crisis. And now apparently, climate change.
"Some of the figures who have emerged as spokespeople have backgrounds in the militant left and are not necessarily representative of the wider movement.
"There is a lot of internal dissent on their private forums about the role that militant students, climate change activists and white protestors should play - which seems to be unresolved.
"One of the sources of tension is between the families of people who have died in police custody, who have close relationships with BLM in the US and feel they should be at the heart of the movement in the UK, and others like those protesting today.”
BLM first grabbed the headlines in Britain when they brought traffic to a standstill outside Heathrow Airport, while carrying out coordinated protests in Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester. The demonstrations coincided with the fifth anniversary of the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by police. It led to several violent and costly riots in many cities across the UK in 2011.
