The Black Lives Matter movement is not a “force for good”, senior Conservative MP Sajid Javid has said
Speaking at an online event for Tory party conference the former chancellor described the organisers of anti-racism protests as “neo-Marxist” and characterised them as having extreme political views.
Black Lives Matter is a decentralised political movement that was sparked by incidents of police violence and unaccountability in the United States.
Similar protests against racial discrimination and historic injustices have spread to many countries under the same banner, including Britain.
“I think the movement of people whether through demonstrating or other ways of fighting for racial justice, of course, that is important,” said Mr Javid, who in August took up a paid job at JPMorgan Chase on top of his work as an MP.
But he added: “I distinguish between the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial justice.
“I’m not sympathetic to the actual organisation, Black Lives Matter. I think it’s a sort of neo-Marxist organisation that wants to overthrow capitalism and get rid of the police.
“I think the organisation itself is not a force for good.”
The intervention by Mr Javid follows an attack on the anti-racism movement by Home Secretary Priti Patel, who used her conference speech on Sunday to brand them a “mob”.
Boris Johnson has also voiced some criticism of the protesters, telling Sky News in June that those calling for the removal of statues of slave traders or racists should “focus less on the symbols of discrimination or whatever”.
He claimed people in the UK should be “proud” of its history.
