June 20, 2020
To those simply catching clips of masked protesters and statues toppling, the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK may seem unclear.
Could Wave Of Action Result In Meaningful Change For Black People?
The issues protesters and supporters discuss are wide ranging: deaths in police custody, experiences within the criminal punishment system, Windrush, immigration policies, the curriculum, imperialist statues, the disproportionate number of Black people dying from coronavirus.
However, the movement’s unifying call is to eradicate racism, and the exposure of Black people to premature death. And with protests now entering their fourth week, many are speculating on how likely it is that they will see success – what would success even look like?Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, author of Mother Country: Real Stories of the Windrush Children, is sceptical of the British government’s ability to respond meaningfully to protests.
With Windrush Day – a commemoration of the scandal that saw British Caribbeans lose access to work, healthcare and citizenship – approaching, Charlie says: “I’m not sure we will ever get true justice for state injustices like Windrush. I have absolutely no faith in this government, and we’ve still got another four years to go.” 
Charlie points towards Boris Johnson’s appointment of Munira Mirza, an adviser who has described institutional racism as a “myth”, to lead the upcoming racial equality review in response to unrest. “They’re just playing us, and they’re going to be very tactical about it.”
But Nadine El-Nany – director of Birkbeck’s centre for research on race and law and author of (B)ordering Britain – says that, having closely followed anti-racist protest in previous years, this wave of action does feel like something special to her.
“These uprisings we’ve seen around the world have given me a feeling of hope and optimism that is generally very hard to come by,” she said.
She points out these protests are taking place in a different context from those of the movement’s first wave in 2014 to 2017.“We’ve seen rising far-right nationalism and authoritarianism in recent years,” she told HuffPost UK. “To see people rise up and push back against that has been uplifting.”
Meanwhile Sarah Lasoye, an organiser and postgraduate student, says the Coronavirus pandemic has laid the foundations for these protests to roar on for longer, and for the demands to be more radical.
“I think coronavirus has exposed fragility – the fragility of societal orders,” she said.
“In so many ways, we now know that it is possible to change things.
“I feel like this has sparked a deeper interrogation of what the mainstream would consider a radical project – a reimagining of how we structure society, and where we invest money in order to keep us safe.”
For these reasons Sarah also sees this moment as a potential tipping point.  
But Nadine stresses that, to understand the protests, and to resist far-right rhetoric that frames them as criminal, we have to place them in context.“Even if we just think about the Colston statue action for a moment, we must remember Rhodes Must Fall started in South Africa. We have to remember that this is an anti-colonial movement at its heart – resistance against white supremacy there, and here, a system that subjugates Black lives.”
Much conversation has surrounded racist cultural artefacts; this week, Oxford’s Oriel College voted to remove its statue of imperialist politician Cecil Rhodes. Nadine sees these changes as positive, but also feels we shouldn’t lose sight of bigger goals.
“We risk the demands becoming about the removal of statues, rather than the dismantling of structural racism,” she said. “It’s been refreshing to see demands made around abolition because these are the sorts of radical demands we should be making – abolition of the police, borders and all forms of detention.” T*, a representative from Community Action on prison Expansion (CAPE), tells us that police and prison abolitionists, who broadly advocate for the dissolution of police forces and the redirection of funding towards community groups and support services, are having their ideas heard more than ever before.
She said: “When this pandemic started we were still having conversations about whether or not the demands to free everyone in prison as a matter of public health were too radical.
“Now police abolition feels like a tangible goal.”
Sarah agrees. “I’ve seen people from school, and people who previously haven’t meaningfully engaged with issues like police brutality, sharing abolitionist posts and discussing why the police are not the necessary institution that they declare themselves to be,” she said.
“It seems that people are really coming to understand the systematic, institutional nature of the police’s racism.”
T said she also felt worried about abolitionists’ goals being co-opted – citing how the demand to “defund the police” has quickly been watered down to appease reformists.When it comes to the police, T says protesters shouldn’t settle for reforms – pointing towards Minneapolis City Council’s decision to disband its police service. “I don’t believe the state will have any problem sacrificing a few ‘bad officers’ or implementing liberal reforms like ‘8 can’t wait’ in order to quell protests.
“We need to focus and not get distracted by empty platitudes that do nothing to transform our material conditions.”
Charlie agrees it’s too soon to say whether there will be a meaningful government response to this month’s protests. But while this might not be a policy tipping point, she says, it seems to be a cultural one.
“That’s really exciting to me. For example, in the last few weeks I’ve seen many of the issues Black journalists cover finally being discussed in mainstream discourse. That feels very new, and very unique.”
Whilst some are more optimistic about the potential for change than others, Charlie, T, Nadine and Sarah all agree there are things we can do in the short-term to increase the movement’s likelihood of success.
Charlie said: “In the short term in the UK, we need to continue looking at and campaigning around deaths in police custody.
“I’ve also seen a lot of conversation on workers’ rights, the experiences of Black people within the workplace, instances of everyday racism, and taking steps to eradicate them. These perhaps aren’t revolutionary, but will really improve the lives of Black people in this country.”In the last few weeks I’ve seen many of the issues Black journalists cover finally being discussed in mainstream discourse. That feels very new, and very unique.Charlie Brinkhurst-CuffBut there is another urgent matter to address. Following the 2011 riots, which have frequently been used as a media reference point for recent Black Lives Matter protests, 1,292 people were jailed for a total of over 1,800 years. Following this month’s protests, said Nadine, supporters must vocally oppose the prosecution of demonstrators. 
For Sarah, change starts at home – looking around at your local community and the ways that racial injustice might be enacted within it: ″‘What is near me? Where is my closest prison? Where is my local police department? How can I contact my MP? How do I make the case for my own community to begin defunding the police?’
“It’s about distilling this big moment of realisation into something that’s applicable for you, in your community.” 
T agrees, encouraging supporters to find out about the campaigning local groups and communities are already doing around prison abolition, but also other issues that disproportionately affect Black people, like housing, poverty and the criminalisation of sex work and drugs.  
“Offer your help and support where you can,” she said. “Ultimately we need to keep listening and learning from ways communities are already keeping each other safe.”
*T’s name has been changedRelated... Exclusive: UK Charities And Schools Blasted For Hosting Mock 'Slave Auctions' Wake Up To How You're Treating Black Men, Top Custody Deaths Lawyer Urges Police Opinion: Removing Statues Doesn't Erase History – It Makes It
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Ruby Franke’s Husband REVEALS Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home | E! News
March 28, 2024
_mU-3lE2QwI
#KenanThompson speaks out following the #QuietonSet documentary. (🎥: Tamron Hall Show) #shorts
March 28, 2024
8AGP-Gfw_Ek
King Charles Shares "Great Sadness" at Missing Royal Appearance | E! News
March 28, 2024
lyizFqf1kQY
Martha Reeves Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 27, 2024
QzyezumEPtQ
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
Montell Jordan Dishes On Young MC Wedding, 'This Is How Date Night' Plans | TMZ
March 28, 2024
G3SMExj-qio
Davina Potratz Says TV Not Helping 'Selling Sunset' Relationship Woes | TMZ
March 28, 2024
D4piy4GNm4k
Logan Paul Rips Graham Bensinger Over Documentary, You Promised Apple TV+ | TMZ Live
March 28, 2024
NiSDpZhZklQ
Prince William pinned royal medal to Spice Girl Mel B’s boobs #shorts
March 28, 2024
O1cQ0UW9pco
Jennifer Garner shares ‘hard’ part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids
March 28, 2024
3Q7mZaVUdgc
50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy named as an alleged sex worker in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit #shorts
March 28, 2024
yhLFI8DG9rM
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
PSG W - Hacken W
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Barcelona W - SK Brann W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Chelsea W - Ajax W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Lyon W - SL Benfica W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.