Boris Johnson said Britain has made huge strides in the fight against racism
London:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the emotions caused by the death of George Floyd in the United States cannot be ignored and that the British government must do more to combat prejudice against people of black and ethnic origin. minority.
The death of Floyd, an unarmed African American, has sparked worldwide protests against police brutality. Over 100,000 people participated in anti-racism protests in Britain over the weekend.
“We who lead and govern simply cannot ignore these feelings, because in too many cases, I fear, they will be grounded in a cold reality,” Johnson said in a statement on Twitter on Monday.
He said Britain has made great strides in the fight against racism, but it must also “honestly recognize that there is still much to be done – to eliminate prejudice and create opportunity”.
Protesters defied warnings not to gather in large groups due to the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Otherwise, the peaceful protests in London ended in small groups confronting the police. Dozens of police were injured and more than 100 people were arrested.
A statue of Winston Churchill on Parliament Square in London was sprayed with graffiti and in Bristol in the west of England, protesters overthrew a statue of the 17th century slave trader Edward Colston.
“I will not support those who flout the rules on social distancing … I will not support or give in to those who break the law or attack the police or desecrate public monuments,” said Johnson.
He warned that those attacking public property or the police “would face the full force of the law”.
“They are hijacking a peaceful demonstration and undermining it in the eyes of many who might otherwise be sympathetic. And as a society, we can and must do better.”
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
