Black Lives Matter
The unfortunate killing of George Floyd in the US by a police officer has flared up the indiscriminate killing of black people due to racial discrimination. Recent events in the UK indicates that this is not just an American issue, but an issue that transverses the length and breadth of the UK as well.
We totally condemn the extra judicial killing of all black men and women who have been killed in cold blood by police officers. The killings were totally unjust and unnecessary.
Ignorance and lack of exposure are some of the things that fuel racism. Unfortunately, a lot of people live in a bubble and the perception they have about black people is that they are thugs, never do wells, and refugees that came to the UK to fleece the benefits system like ants descending on a packet of sugar. More often than not, this is not the case. Many African migrants came into the UK already having a first degree, but due to bad leadership and unemployment in their home countries, they migrate to the UK for the chance of a better life. Unfortunately, the realities they meet on arrival is different from their long held perceptions about life in the UK.
When I saw the video of George Floyd’s killing, I quickly turned my face away, as I really could not bear to watch it. I also could not believe that in 2020, such a barbaric and gruesome act had been committed, in broad daylight and in the full view of horrified onlookers. What could have been Floyd’s offence? What could have motivated Chauvin to kneel on his neck like he was stamping on an irritating fly? This singular action by Chauvin made me to query if anything has changed since the time of Martin Luther King – sad, very sad indeed.
Here in the UK, we saw a similar grotesque scenario in which a police officer knelt on the neck of a black man during arrest. Coming so close after the killing of George Floyd and the public outcry that followed, it confirmed that no lessons had been learnt.
We call on the Independent Office for Police Conduct to carry out a review of its processes to ensure more robustness and transparency. In addition, more awareness should be created around the consequences of institutional racism.