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Boris Johnson has said he will not approve of protesters “flouting social distancing” after a weekend of activism over systemic racism in the UK, amid a call from government for the end of any violent action and breaching of rules designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Around 200 protests took place across the UK over the weekend, with the majority passing peacefully while expressing defiant opposition to racial inequality that persists in British society – part of a global call to arms following the death of American George Floyd in the city of Minneapolis at the hands of a police office.
However, focussing on violence in London, which saw 35 officers injured, and vandalism as seen in the tearing down of a statue to slaver Edward Colston in Bristol, the prime minister has urged an end to any conflict and said he “will not support those who flout social distancing” while claiming violence undermined the black lives matters movement “in the eyes of many who might otherwise be sympathetic”.
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Mr Johnson – who has been criticised for his language in relation to minority groups in the past – went on to admit there is more to do in tackling inequality while touting the diversity of his own ministers.
“I am proud to lead the most ethnically diverse government in the history of this country, with two of the four great offices of state held by a man and a woman of Indian origin,” he said, while adding that he was equally pleased with his work to recruit and promote “more young black people, in the police and other walks of life”.
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1/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London, in memory of George Floyd who was killed on May 25 while in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis
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2/79 A girl wears a face mask during a Black Lives Matter rally in Parliament Square
AP
3/79 People are seen by a mural of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Stevenson Square, Manchester
REUTERS
4/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
5/79 Children pose for their family in front of discarded placards fixed on a wall in Piccadilly Gardens after a Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Manchester
Getty Images
6/79 People shout slogans during a Black Lives Matter rally in Parliament Square
AP
7/79 Demonstrators in Leicester
REUTERS
8/79 A demonstrator holds up a placard during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square
REUTERS
9/79 A demonstrator gestures during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manchester
REUTERS
10/79 A mounted police officer raises their baton as police horses ride along Whitehall, past the entrance to Downing Street, in an attempt to disperse protestors gathered in central London
AFP via Getty Images
11/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Bute Park, Cardiff
PA
12/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally march on Vauxhall Bridge Road, London
PA
13/79 Protesters hold up signs as they march along a road during a peaceful Black Lives Matter march in Aylesbury
Getty Images
14/79 People climbing on top of the Queen Victoria Statue as they take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
15/79 Children pose for a photo during a Black Lives Matter protest at Parliament Square
Getty Images
16/79 Demonstrators hold placards as they attend a protest march to the US Embassy in London
AFP via Getty Images
17/79 Protesters demonstrate near the the US Embassy in Nine Elms in London
Getty Images
18/79 Protesters in Whitehall following a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square
PA
19/79 Demonstrators wearing protective face masks and face coverings hold placards during a Black Lives Matter protest in Leicester
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20/79 A demonstrator is seen during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square
REUTERS
21/79 Demonstrators are seen as police officers look on during a Black Lives Matter protest near Downing street in London
REUTERS
22/79 Demonstrators are seen wth police liaison officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in Luton
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23/79 A protest at Parliament Square in London
EPA
24/79 A demonstrator in Leicester
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25/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square
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26/79 Demonstrators wearing protective face masks and face coverings hold placards during a Black Lives Matter protest in Leicester
REUTERS
27/79 Demonstrators block traffic outside Victoria Station
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28/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Custom House Square, Belfast
PA
29/79 Police on horseback in Whitehall following a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London
PA
30/79 Protesters hold placards as they attend a demonstration in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
31/79 Demonstrators throw flares above a police line during a Black Lives Matter march in London
AP
32/79 People climbing on top of the Queen Victoria Statue as they take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
33/79 Demonstrators raise their hands facing police officers after scuffles during a Black Lives Matter march in London
AP
34/79 People are seen placing placards on a fence in London
REUTERS
35/79 A demonstrator is seen with a protective face mask during a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford
REUTERS
36/79 A sign alternatively naming Wilson Street ‘Rosa Parks Street’ in Glasgow. Activists have put up names of black people and civil rights activists throughout history alongside street names around the Scottish centre as part of the ongoing worldwide demonstrations following the death of George Floyd
PA
37/79 Boxer Anthony Joshua is seen with demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford
REUTERS
38/79 Demonstrators gather outside Downing Street
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39/79 Demonstrators kneel facing police officers after scuffles during a Black Lives Matter march in London
AP
40/79 Demonstrators lay on the pavement during a Black Lives Matter rally at Trafalgar Square
AP
41/79 A protester stands on bus stop and raises their hand during a Black Lives Matter protest at Parliament Square
Getty Images
42/79 Protesters holding placards gather in Manchester
Getty Images
43/79 A man gestures during a Black Lives Matter march in in London
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44/79 Girls hold placards in London
AP
45/79 A demonstrator in Parliament Square
REUTERS
46/79 A demonstrator wearing a protective face mask during a Black Lives Matter protest in Leicester
REUTERS
47/79 A protest placard is affixed to the plinth of a statue of the Duke of Wellington on the second day of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Piccadilly Gardens
Getty Images
48/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Deansgate, Manchester
PA
49/79 Demonstrators stage a Black Lives Matter Protest in Leicester city centre
EPA
50/79 A demonstrator points towards a mounted police officer laying in the road after being unseated from their horse, during a demonstration on Whitehall, near the entrance to Downing Street
AFP via Getty Images
51/79 A ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) protest at Parliament Square
EPA
52/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
53/79 Protesters in Whitehall following a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London
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54/79 Protesters in Whitehall following a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square
PA
55/79 Protests at Parliament Square in London
EPA
56/79 A demonstrator holds a placard during a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford
REUTERS
57/79 Demonstrators hold placards during a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford
REUTERS
58/79 Protesters hold placards as they march through central London
Getty Images
59/79 Demonstrators in Parliament Square
REUTERS
60/79 Protesters kneel as they hold placards during a demonstration in Manchester
AFP via Getty Images
61/79 A mother and son hold up a sign during a peaceful Black Lives Matter march in Aylesbury
Getty Images
62/79 A protest march in Manchester
AFP via Getty Images
63/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London
Gemma Fox/The Independent
64/79 Demonstrators are seen standing on top of a bus stop wearing protective face masks and face coverings as the Black Lives Matter protesters march to the Home Office in London
REUTERS
65/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
66/79 Demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manchester are seen by a mural of George Floyd
REUTERS
67/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London
PA
68/79 A demonstrator is seen wearing a protective face mask as the Black Lives Matter protesters march to the Home Office in London
REUTERS
69/79 Protest in Parliament Square
REUTERS
70/79 Demonstrators with a flare are seen during a Black Lives Matter protest near Downing street in London
REUTERS
71/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Bute Park, Cardiff
PA
72/79 Protesters hold up signs during a peaceful Black Lives Matter march in Aylesbury
Getty
73/79 A protester raises his arm during a second day of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Piccadilly Gardens
Getty Images
74/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Bute Park, Cardiff
PA
75/79 Placards are seen during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square
REUTERS
76/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
77/79 Protesters holding placards gather at the Queen Victoria monument for a second day of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Piccadilly Gardens
Getty Images
78/79 Protesters hold placards as they attend a demonstration in Manchester
AFP via Getty Images
79/79 A woman kneels during a Black Lives Matter rally in London
AP
1/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London, in memory of George Floyd who was killed on May 25 while in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis
PA
2/79 A girl wears a face mask during a Black Lives Matter rally in Parliament Square
AP
3/79 People are seen by a mural of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Stevenson Square, Manchester
REUTERS
4/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
5/79 Children pose for their family in front of discarded placards fixed on a wall in Piccadilly Gardens after a Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Manchester
Getty Images
6/79 People shout slogans during a Black Lives Matter rally in Parliament Square
AP
7/79 Demonstrators in Leicester
REUTERS
8/79 A demonstrator holds up a placard during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square
REUTERS
9/79 A demonstrator gestures during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manchester
REUTERS
10/79 A mounted police officer raises their baton as police horses ride along Whitehall, past the entrance to Downing Street, in an attempt to disperse protestors gathered in central London
AFP via Getty Images
11/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Bute Park, Cardiff
PA
12/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally march on Vauxhall Bridge Road, London
PA
13/79 Protesters hold up signs as they march along a road during a peaceful Black Lives Matter march in Aylesbury
Getty Images
14/79 People climbing on top of the Queen Victoria Statue as they take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
15/79 Children pose for a photo during a Black Lives Matter protest at Parliament Square
Getty Images
16/79 Demonstrators hold placards as they attend a protest march to the US Embassy in London
AFP via Getty Images
17/79 Protesters demonstrate near the the US Embassy in Nine Elms in London
Getty Images
18/79 Protesters in Whitehall following a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square
PA
19/79 Demonstrators wearing protective face masks and face coverings hold placards during a Black Lives Matter protest in Leicester
Reuters
20/79 A demonstrator is seen during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square
REUTERS
21/79 Demonstrators are seen as police officers look on during a Black Lives Matter protest near Downing street in London
REUTERS
22/79 Demonstrators are seen wth police liaison officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in Luton
REUTERS
23/79 A protest at Parliament Square in London
EPA
24/79 A demonstrator in Leicester
REUTERS
25/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square
PA
26/79 Demonstrators wearing protective face masks and face coverings hold placards during a Black Lives Matter protest in Leicester
REUTERS
27/79 Demonstrators block traffic outside Victoria Station
AP
28/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Custom House Square, Belfast
PA
29/79 Police on horseback in Whitehall following a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London
PA
30/79 Protesters hold placards as they attend a demonstration in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
31/79 Demonstrators throw flares above a police line during a Black Lives Matter march in London
AP
32/79 People climbing on top of the Queen Victoria Statue as they take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
33/79 Demonstrators raise their hands facing police officers after scuffles during a Black Lives Matter march in London
AP
34/79 People are seen placing placards on a fence in London
REUTERS
35/79 A demonstrator is seen with a protective face mask during a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford
REUTERS
36/79 A sign alternatively naming Wilson Street ‘Rosa Parks Street’ in Glasgow. Activists have put up names of black people and civil rights activists throughout history alongside street names around the Scottish centre as part of the ongoing worldwide demonstrations following the death of George Floyd
PA
37/79 Boxer Anthony Joshua is seen with demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford
REUTERS
38/79 Demonstrators gather outside Downing Street
AP
39/79 Demonstrators kneel facing police officers after scuffles during a Black Lives Matter march in London
AP
40/79 Demonstrators lay on the pavement during a Black Lives Matter rally at Trafalgar Square
AP
41/79 A protester stands on bus stop and raises their hand during a Black Lives Matter protest at Parliament Square
Getty Images
42/79 Protesters holding placards gather in Manchester
Getty Images
43/79 A man gestures during a Black Lives Matter march in in London
AP
44/79 Girls hold placards in London
AP
45/79 A demonstrator in Parliament Square
REUTERS
46/79 A demonstrator wearing a protective face mask during a Black Lives Matter protest in Leicester
REUTERS
47/79 A protest placard is affixed to the plinth of a statue of the Duke of Wellington on the second day of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Piccadilly Gardens
Getty Images
48/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Deansgate, Manchester
PA
49/79 Demonstrators stage a Black Lives Matter Protest in Leicester city centre
EPA
50/79 A demonstrator points towards a mounted police officer laying in the road after being unseated from their horse, during a demonstration on Whitehall, near the entrance to Downing Street
AFP via Getty Images
51/79 A ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) protest at Parliament Square
EPA
52/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
53/79 Protesters in Whitehall following a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London
PA
54/79 Protesters in Whitehall following a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square
PA
55/79 Protests at Parliament Square in London
EPA
56/79 A demonstrator holds a placard during a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford
REUTERS
57/79 Demonstrators hold placards during a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford
REUTERS
58/79 Protesters hold placards as they march through central London
Getty Images
59/79 Demonstrators in Parliament Square
REUTERS
60/79 Protesters kneel as they hold placards during a demonstration in Manchester
AFP via Getty Images
61/79 A mother and son hold up a sign during a peaceful Black Lives Matter march in Aylesbury
Getty Images
62/79 A protest march in Manchester
AFP via Getty Images
63/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London
Gemma Fox/The Independent
64/79 Demonstrators are seen standing on top of a bus stop wearing protective face masks and face coverings as the Black Lives Matter protesters march to the Home Office in London
REUTERS
65/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
66/79 Demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manchester are seen by a mural of George Floyd
REUTERS
67/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square, London
PA
68/79 A demonstrator is seen wearing a protective face mask as the Black Lives Matter protesters march to the Home Office in London
REUTERS
69/79 Protest in Parliament Square
REUTERS
70/79 Demonstrators with a flare are seen during a Black Lives Matter protest near Downing street in London
REUTERS
71/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Bute Park, Cardiff
PA
72/79 Protesters hold up signs during a peaceful Black Lives Matter march in Aylesbury
Getty
73/79 A protester raises his arm during a second day of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Piccadilly Gardens
Getty Images
74/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Bute Park, Cardiff
PA
75/79 Placards are seen during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square
REUTERS
76/79 People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens
PA
77/79 Protesters holding placards gather at the Queen Victoria monument for a second day of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Piccadilly Gardens
Getty Images
78/79 Protesters hold placards as they attend a demonstration in Manchester
AFP via Getty Images
79/79 A woman kneels during a Black Lives Matter rally in London
AP
Speaking from Downing Street, he also invoked the anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush, which brought some 500 Jamaican men, women, and children to the UK to help rebuild the country after the Second World War – saying “today, once again, we face a great task: to relaunch this country after coronavirus”.
The Windrush generation has since been a source of scandal for the Conservative party, with many who were granted citizenship as a result of their work in repairing the nation later wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and wrongly deported as part of the Home Office’s “hostile environment” policy.
In a recorded statement initially published in Afro-Caribbean weekly newspaper The Voice, he said: “The death of George Floyd took place thousands of miles away – in another country, under another jurisdiction – and yet we simply cannot ignore the depth of emotion that has been triggered by that spectacle, of a black man losing his life at the hands of the police.
“In this country and around the world his dying words – I can’t breathe – have awakened an anger and a widespread and incontrovertible, undeniable feeling of injustice, a feeling that people from black and minority ethnic groups do face discrimination: in education, in employment, in the application of the criminal law.
“And we who lead and who govern simply can’t ignore those feelings because in too many cases, I am afraid, they will be founded on a cold reality.
He went on to argue the country had “made huge strides” since the rise of the National Front 1970s, while stating “I truly believe that we are a much, much less racist society than we were, in many ways far happier and better”.
However, acknowledging remaining prejudice, he added: “You are right, we are all right, to say Black Lives Matter; and to all those who have chosen to protest peacefully and who have insisted on social distancing – I say, yes of course I hear you, and I understand.
“But I must also say that we are in a time of national trial, when for months this whole country has come together to fight a deadly plague. After such sacrifice, we cannot now let it get out of control.
“It is Bame communities who have been at the forefront of the struggle against coronavirus – whether in health care or transport or social care or any of the other essential services that have kept our country going. And it is Bame communities, tragically, that have paid a disproportionate price.
“So no, I will not support those who flout the rules on social distancing, for the obvious reason that we risk a new infection at a critical time and just as we have made huge progress. And no, I will not support or indulge those who break the law, or attack the police, or desecrate public monuments.
“We have a democracy in this country. If you want to change the urban landscape, you can stand for election, or vote for someone who will”.
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk