China News Service, June 3, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on the 3rd, the death of the African-American man Freud caused a large-scale anti-racist protest march in the United States and led to violent conflict. Recently, the flames of protest have ignited to the United Kingdom. Although the United Kingdom has not been unsealed due to the new crown epidemic, large-scale rallies and demonstrations broke out in London, Manchester, Cardiff and other places.
The demonstrators held up the same banner as the American protesters: "I can't breathe anymore", which is also Freud's last words; shouting the same slogan: "The life of a black man is also life"; the same gesture: one knee Kneel.
On May 31, near the American Embassy in London, England, a protester knelt on one knee during the demonstration.
"One injured, all hurt"
Shayan, a 20-year-old London woman, one of the demonstrators, told the BBC, "I didn't expect that there would be so many people participating. I can really feel: all the people are in pain."
Sha Yan said that she and her friends decided to go to London in black and military boots. It turned out that many other women had the same inspiration and chose the classic costumes of the black movement for civil rights. "We just want to prove that we are proud of our identity. We should not need to cover up our black characteristics to survive."
Shayan said that although Freud died in the United States, "we know very well that (this kind of thing) also happened in the United Kingdom." "When one person is injured, we all hurt because it may happen to us."
On May 31, London, England, local police stood in front of protesters holding slogans.
Shayan refers to the Mark Duggan case.
On August 4, 2011, 29-year-old Dugan was shot dead by police in Tottenham, north London. The police suspected that he was planning an attack and that he was carrying a gun. Dugan, who was sitting in the taxi's co-pilot position, refused to arrest and the police shot.
On August 6, some people in Tottenham took to the streets to protest. After nightfall, peaceful demonstrations turned into riots. Participants burned police cars, smashed shops, robbed fires, burned buildings... The streets of London, the cold lights and fire lights of the riot police helmets and shields complemented each other. The violent riots continued for several days, and the smashing and looting spread to many parts of London and several other major cities in the United Kingdom.
Official British figures at the time showed that in London, blacks were four times more likely to be enforced by the police by force than whites.
In recent years, there have been cases of excessive law enforcement by the British police against black people. In 2016, the police tried to subdue former Aston Villa club player Atkinson (Dalian Atkinson) using an electric gun. Atkinson died after being injured. In 2017, the police tried to arrest Rasharn Charles, who died in hospital due to a respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest.
On May 31, local time, in front of the U.S. Embassy in London, England, a large number of people knelt down on the road to protest the death of African-American men caused by the violent law enforcement of the American police.
Is Britain really "more progressive" than the United States?
20-year-old Eyram Kiakia is a "celebrity" on British social media and often discusses the "life of black people is also a life" movement on their own channel. She said, "The more you understand, the more sad you feel. After watching the video of the police pressing his neck for a few seconds, I can no longer watch it."
"It was more sad to see a video of his courageously speaking about certain issues in the community during his lifetime than watching a video of the police killing him."
Allison said that people think that Britain is more advanced in race issues than the United States. "In fact, this is not the case at all."
On May 31, local time, in London, England, people gathered outside the US embassy in Britain to protest.
In recent years, one of the most important events that torn British society due to ethnic issues occurred in 2018. At that time, the British government stepped up measures to combat illegal immigration, which led to a group of people from the "Blast Generation" who arrived in the UK in childhood, but were not identified as "illegal immigrants." Not only were their medical benefits affected, some people lost their jobs, and some Officially threatened to be deported.
"Blast Generation" refers to a group of immigrants from the Caribbean who came to the UK between 1948 and 1971. After the Second World War, in order to fill the gap in the domestic labor force, the United Kingdom "collected" immigrants from colonies in the Caribbean and later Commonwealth countries. The first group of immigrants arrived in Britain on a ship named "Imperial Blast". This group and its descendants were later called "Blast Generation".
In 2017, after the fire at the Greenfield Tower in central London, the settlement of the original residents also caused dissatisfaction in the black community, and the authorities were accused of racial discrimination.
Another example highlighting the status quo of the British race problem is Princess Megan. Meghan, a half-breed from the United States, received some treatment after marrying into the British royal family, especially the mockery of her by some media, which was also interpreted as an "injustice" rooted in racial discrimination.
On May 31, local time, in London, England, people gathered outside the US embassy in Britain to protest.
"Mental and physical pain"
Allison said that in the UK, racial discrimination is still institutionalized, which is reflected in schools and workplaces. For example, in schools, black students are more likely to be expelled than whites.
"In the workplace,'micro-discrimination' always exists. All the people I know have experienced some ignorant comments from colleagues and supervisors." She said, "It's subtle and not obvious, but it can't explain that this is not racial discrimination."
L'Myah Sherae, who served in the upper house of the British Parliament, told the BBC that when she first heard about Freud's death, she felt like "someone hurt me".
She said that the “erosive danger” of the case of institutionalized racial discrimination is that it can “make people feel both mentally and physically painful, even if the incident happened thousands of miles away, on the other side of the world”.
On May 17, local time, the United Kingdom ushered in the first Sunday after the "conditional unblocking". Bicycle riders on the streets of London in the United Kingdom enjoyed their leisure time. China News Service reporter Zhang Pingshe
Different protests in the epidemic
So far, British marches and protests have been basically safe and sound. However, the rallies and marches in the epidemic still have hidden risks.
In view of the fact that the United Kingdom has just begun to unblock, the protest organizers demanded that demonstrators wear masks to the streets to prevent the spread of the virus. Reports during the weekend showed that many demonstrators did wear masks and seemed to try their best to maintain social distance. However, the main venue of the protest, London Trafalgar Square and the road leading to the US embassy in the UK, was surging, and it was very difficult to maintain distance.
The Metropolitan Police Department of London deploys police to maintain order. Police subsequently revealed that five demonstrators aged between 17 and 25 were arrested outside the US embassy in the UK. Three people violated the new crown virus epidemic prevention regulations, and two people attacked police officers.
There are reports that Freud’s death in the United States triggered the worst racial riot in the United States in more than half a century since the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.
The aftermath of the strong resonance caused by the incident in the British black community is coming to an end. Some reports predict that more protests and demonstrations may appear in London and other places later this week and next week. The development of the situation needs further observation.