thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Keir Starmer Says It Was 'Completely Wrong' To Tear Down Slaver Statue

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Keir Starmer has said it was “completely wrong” to tear down the statue of notorious Bristol slave trader Edward Colston – but insisted it should have been peacefully removed “a long time ago”.
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The Labour leader stressed: “You can’t, in 21st century Britain, have a slaver on a statue.”
But he said the statue should have been taken down with “consent”.
Appearing on his own new monthly phone-in show on LBC Radio, the opposition leader said: “It shouldn’t be done in that way. Completely wrong to pull a statue down like that.
“But, stepping back, that statue should have been [...] taken down a long, long time ago.
“You can’t, in 21st century Britain, have a slaver on a statue.
“A statue is there to honour people. And you can’t have that in 21st century Britain.
“That statue should have been brought down properly with consent and put, I would say, in a museum.”
Protesters throw statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour Ben Birchall - PA Images via Getty Images
Justice minister Kit Malthouse has said protesters who pulled down the statue should face prosecution for criminal damage while Boris Johnson has condemned what he calls the “thuggery” of some within the overwhelmingly peaceful Black Lives Matter protests.
Malthouse told BBC Breakfast: “A crime was committed, criminal damage was committed, there should be evidence gathered and a prosecution should follow.”
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Shadow justice secretary and staunch anti-racism campaigner David Lammy said he did not “condone violence and criminal acts” and insisted the statue “should have come down in a democratic way”.
But during his interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Lammy went on to compare the protesters to those who followed the likes of Martin Luther King and the Suffragettes in opting to break the law to highlight their cause.
The Labour frontbencher said: “We have a tradition in our country of protest.
“We have had great men and women, like Emmeline Pankhurst and the Suffragettes, who have faced imprisonment because of their protest.
“I’m quite sure that those young people who brought that statue down knew that they would be facing the law but that was a price they were willing to pay and there are many examples throughout history, from Martin Luther King to Harvey Milk, who protested on behalf of gay rights.
“Many, many men and women following these people and being prepared to break the law because they believed the issue of justice they wanted to shine a light on was a bigger project.”
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Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, who is of Jamaican heritage, meanwhile said he “cannot pretend” to have “any real sense of loss” for the statue.
John Apter, the chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in England and Wales, criticised Avon and Somerset Police for its decision not to intervene in the protest.
He told BBC Breakfast: “To have no police presence there I think sent quite a negative message.
“I understand there has been a lot of controversy about this statue for many years – so the question is: why didn’t those in the local authority consider taking it down long before, rather than waiting for these actions?”
But Starmer said: “I was very struck by Superintendent Andy Bennett, who was the police officer, the superintendent, on the ground who judged the situation.
“And he said he was really disappointed by the vandalism and the bringing down of the statue. But he didn’t think it was the right thing to intervene, because it might make the situation worse.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--John Boyega Urges People To 'Maintain Momentum' In Pursuit Of Long-Term Solutions To Racism

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John Boyega has urged people to “maintain momentum” of the Black Lives Matter movement in the pursuit of “long-term solutions and commitments”.
The Star Wars actor shared a post on Instagram, in which he thanked fans for their “love and support” following his powerful speech at the anti-racism protests last week.
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John said he was “excited to see an awakening happening in all of us”, as he spoke of his hopes for the future.
John Boyega SIPA USA/PA Images
“I want to thank you all for the love and support you have shared over the last few days, although nothing I have done is for praise, or is truly even enough, in the grand scheme of things,” he wrote.
“This is an intense time for our community, and the most important thing is for us to maintain momentum and not lose sight of how critical it is to pursue long term solutions and commitments, for the sake of our generation, and the next.
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“Our individual pursuits of success and belonging remain, but now more than ever, it’s important to use this movement as fuel to inspire new ways of thinking, building, and growing, together. I believe any great movement starts with a renewal of the mind.”
He continued: “I know you’re all thinking, what’s next? Where do we go from here? Because I’m thinking the same shit! Conversations about black businesses, ownership and support are happening, and I will continue to have these conversations with the full intention of birthing ideas that are sustainable and tangible. Let’s increase our knowledge! I’m excited to see an awakening happening in all of us!”
John said he will continue to “use my platform to fight against the injustices and inequalities” and called on everyone to join him.
He said: “One man can’t do it alone - I need you, and we need each other! We need everyone, across industries, soci-economic backgrounds, countries, to unite with a shared goal of REAL change.”
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John delivered a powerful speech at the Black Lives Matter protest in London last Wednesday PA
John also shared some images of a few schools he visited in Southwark, London, before the coronavirus pandemic, saying it was an “eye opening and inspiring” experience to learn about the “minds and needs of our next generation”.
“I look forward to continuing this work, and contributing more, once it is safe to do so,” he said. “I urge the black men of our community, my peers, to do the same. Connecting with our kids and motivating them towards a future that is stronger and brighter, is urgent, and necessary.”
He added: “In the meantime, let’s work on clearing the runway for them, so they can take off, and fly. Love everyone, and stay safe x.”
Since the killing of George Floyd last month, there have been mass protests around the world against police brutality and in support of Black Lives Matter.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Jonathan Ross Faces Criticism After Defending JK Rowling Amid Backlash Over ‘Transphobic’ Tweets

On Saturday, the writer commented on an article titled, Creating a More Equal Post-COVID-19 World for People Who Menstruate, pushing back against the headline for not referring to those who get their periods as just ‘women’.
“I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?,” she tweeted.
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‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?
Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
The tweet sparked a wave of backlash from the LGBTQ community and its supporters, accusing her of erasing trans people, and reminded the author that transgender people, non-binary people and gender-nonconforming people can also menstruate.
JK then followed up her original tweet, writing: “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”
Jonathan Ross and JK Rowling Rex/PA
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Jonathan has since stepped in to back up the writer, claiming she is not transphobic.
Writing on Twitter, the chat show host said: “I just ate too many brownies. Again. Oh, and also. @jk_rowling is both right and magnificent. For those accusing her of transphobia, please read what she wrote. She clearly is not.”
I just ate too many brownies. Again. Oh, and also. @jk_rowling is both right and magnificent.For those accusing her of transphobia, please read what she wrote. She clearly is not. — Jonathan Ross (@wossy) June 7, 2020
The presenter followed up his original tweet by engaging with Twitter users who criticised his stance.
Jonathan, I’m disappointed. I followed you after we met at the Yogscast - I even have a picture of us together - but now I can’t continue to follow. She’s been a transphobe for YEARS. She literally tells them they are worthless in the same tweet that she raises them up in. — Hannah Rutherford (@lomadia) June 7, 2020
I have never seen her call anyone worthless. Can you support that claim? Genuinely asking. — Jonathan Ross (@wossy) June 7, 2020
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I don't know enough about this subject to talk with authority on it... and I sort of feel like you and J. K. Rowling are in the same boat as me. — Ben Cooper (@poprockcyanide) June 7, 2020
Well I think you’re sort of wrong. But thanks for keeping it polite. — Jonathan Ross (@wossy) June 7, 2020
The world doesn't need shouting and cancel culture right now, it needs togetherness and understanding. I appreciate you standing beside someone and something that you believe in, I'm just concerned that there's a lot of confusion on both sides, and that it'll do more harm. — Ben Cooper (@poprockcyanide) June 7, 2020
It is a heated and rather troubling debate. But hopefully people will find space to both talk and listen. — Jonathan Ross (@wossy) June 7, 2020
In follow-up tweets sent on Saturday, JK insisted that accusations that she was transphobic were “nonsense”.
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“The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women – ie, to male violence – ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences – is a nonsense,” she tweeted.
“I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”
However, many people quickly pointed out that trans people face frequent discrimination and violence, especially Black trans women, who people are currently fighting for as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
It's not hate if u say that YOU'RE a woman. It's HARMFUL 2 say TRANSWOMEN are men. thus not a hypothetical "If", but WHEN WE ARE DISCRIMINATED against IS CLEAR if u connect reports of VIOLENCE & removal of transfolk from: _____. In Disregarding that point u appear 2 CHOOSE HATE. — Peppermint (@Peppermint247) June 7, 2020
Hey JK as you claim to support trans rights and this is a historical moment where we are globally discussing the impact of white supremacy on Black People, please share some of your $650million mega wealth with this charity. https://t.co/3WoGduRuSE — Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) June 7, 2020
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JK Rowling continues to align herself with an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans. In 2020, there is no excuse for targeting trans people. — GLAAD (@glaad) June 7, 2020
If you want to direct your rightful anger over JK Rowling's latest anti-trans comments into something positive, support orgs that help Black trans people like @MPJInstitute, @blacktransusa, @TransJusticeFP, @Genderintell and @ukblackpride — GLAAD (@glaad) June 7, 2020
Back in 2018, the Wizarding World creator sparked a backlash when she was seen “liking” a tweet referring to transgender women as “men in dresses”.
Towards the end of last year, she was criticised when she spoke out in defence of Maya Forstater, who had been accused of using “offensive and exclusionary” language in a number of tweets relating to proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act, which would allow self-identification.
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She said she had “accidentally pasted in” a sentence, which appeared to be from an article about transgender activist Tara Wolf.
Useful websites and helplines:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees Admits Slave-Trader Statue In City Was 'A Personal Affront'

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The mayor of Bristol has said he “cannot pretend” to have “any real sense of loss” for the statue of slaver Edward Colston, which was toppled and dumped into the city’s harbour during an anti-racist demonstration on Sunday.
Marvin Rees, who is of Jamaican heritage, described the statue – which had stood in the city centre since 1895 – as “a personal affront”.
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More than 11,000 people had recently signed a petition to have the statue pulled down, following numerous calls in the past to have it removed.
The directly-elected Labour mayor told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “As an elected politician, obviously I cannot condone the damage and I am very concerned about the implications of a mass gathering on the possibility of a second Covid wave.
“But I am of Jamaican heritage and I cannot pretend that I have any real sense of loss for the statue, and I cannot pretend it was anything other than a personal affront to me to have it in the middle of Bristol, the city in which I grew up.”
Rees went on to warn that it would take more than the removal of a controversial statue to tackle racism that was “stitched into the system”.
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The mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees pictured here speaking at a different demonstration outside City Hall in 2016. Matt Cardy via Getty Images
In the hours after it was torn down on Sunday, Avon and Somerset Police superintendent Andy Bennett announced that the force had launched an investigation to identify a small group of people “who clearly committed an act of criminal damage”.
This announcement has been reiterated by home secretary Priti Patel and MP Sajid Javid, who grew up in Bristol, and a row has since broken out about whether or not those who tore down the statue should face prosecution.
Asked whether he wanted to see those involved with removing the statue charged, Rees added: “That is up to the criminal justice system.
“I don’t really intervene in criminal matters like that – that’s not for me to go and be a cheerleader to the police in any criminal investigations.”
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Meanwhile, on Monday morning justice minister Kit Malthouse told BBC Breakfast: “A crime was committed, criminal damage was committed, there should be evidence gathered and a prosecution should follow.”
He continued: “There is an elected mayor of Bristol, there is a council in Bristol and it is via those democratic means that we will resolve these issues in this country – not by people showing up with ropes and tools and committing criminal damage.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--UK Travel Quarantine Has Come Into Force – Here Are The Rules

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Arrivals into the UK are now required to self-isolate for two weeks under new government rules, in a bid to prevent a second wave of Covid-19.
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All passengers – bar a handful of exemptions – will have to fill out an online locator form giving their contact and travel details, as well as the address of where they will isolate.
People who fail to comply could be fined £1,000 in England, and police will be allowed to use “reasonable force” to make sure they follow the rules.
Border Force officers will carry out checks on arrivals and may refuse entry to a non-resident foreign national who refuses to comply with the regulations.
The plans have been met with strong criticism from opposition parties and some Conservative MPs – as well as the travel industry.
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British Airways has begun legal proceedings over what it calls the government’s “unlawful” quarantine measures.
A leaked Home Office document seen by The Daily Telegraph reportedly said there was no method for officials to ensure a person’s details are “genuine”.
The quarantine regulations must be reviewed every three weeks, with the first taking place by June 29.
They could be in place for a year, when the legislation expires, unless the government decides to scrap it sooner.
Travellers arriving from within the Common Travel Area – which includes Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands – will not need to self-isolate unless they have arrived in the CTA in the last 14 days.
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Home secretary Priti Patel said: “We all want to return to normal as quickly as possible. But this cannot be at the expense of lives.
“The science is clear that if we limit the risk of new cases being brought in from abroad, we can help stop a devastating second wave.
“That is why the measures coming into force today are necessary. They will help control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.”
New quarantine restrictions for overseas travellers come into force this morning. TOLGA AKMEN via Getty Images
What are the rules?
1. Residents or visitors travelling to the UK on or after 8 June must provide journey and contact details.
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This is done by completing and submitting a form before your arrival into the UK. The form cannot be submitted more than 48 hours before you travel.
You’ll need to show your completed form when you arrive at the UK border, either by printing a copy, or showing it on your phone.
The government will use this information to contact you if you or someone you’ve travelled with develops coronavirus symptoms, and to check that you’re self-isolating for the first 14 days after you arrive in the UK.
Under 18′s don’t need to complete a form if they’re travelling with an adult – as long as you will arrive and leave together, stay at the same address and add their details onto your form.
2. Self-isolate in the place you’re staying in for your first 14 days in the UK
It can take 14 days for Covid-19 symptoms to appear, so this is the minimum amount of time arrivals have been asked to quarantine themselves after their arrival.
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The nw rules instruct arrivals to go straight to the place they will self-isolate, and avoid public transport wherever possible. If you have no other option, you should wear a face covering and practice social distancing.
Those who have a long journey upon arrival can stay overnight in accommodation along the way. You must self-isolate and provide the address of your overnight stop on your public health passenger locator form.
You can self isolate in your own home, with friends or family, or in a hotel or other temporary accommodation.
The government has provided extensive guidance on the new rules, which can be found here.
What are the punishments for breaking the rules?
You may be refused permission to enter the UK (if you are not a British citizen), or fined if you do not to provide your contact details or do not self-isolate when you arrive in the UK from Monday, June 8.
Failure to fill out contact details could result in a £100 fine.
In England, if you do not self-isolate, you can be fined £1,000. If you do not provide an accurate contact detail declaration – or do not update your contact detail form in the limited circumstances where you need to move to another place to self-isolate – you can be fined up to £3,200.
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Who is exempt?
You do not need to complete the form or self-isolate if you’re travelling from Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and you were there for 14 days previously.
There is also an extensive list of people who work specific essential jobs or perform certain roles that do not have to follow the new rules.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--America Has Tried And Failed To Explain Its Racism To The World

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Thousands of people around the world are sending a dual message to Americans as they protest the death of George Floyd, the latest casualty of the systemic violence against Black residents of the US. Their message: We see your pain ― and we see your country for what it really is.
To those outside America’s borders, the nation’s state-sanctioned racism stands in stark contrast to its proudly proclaimed ideals of liberty and equality in the more than 100 years that the US has been a global power.
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Black Americans and members of other marginalised communities in the US often share their stories abroad in search of solidarity, recognising that international embarrassment could help drive reform at home. Representatives of the US government have offered foreigners a different narrative of progress towards fulfilling America’s promise.
Since Floyd died after a white police officer pinned him down by the neck — sparking international protest and outcry — it’s clear that deep scepticism persists worldwide about America’s commitment to racial justice and that people connected to the US, officials or others, will be asked to answer for it for years to come.
“It’s such a burden to have to carry that additional weight into the world, and I think that may be true for everyone, but particularly for the people who are being oppressed or mistreated at home,” said Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, a former ambassador who served in the State Department for more than 30 years before resigning in 2017. “Not only do we have to deal with our own sorrow, but we have to answer for our European Americans. I’ve got to try to explain white racism, white supremacy. I’ve got that extra burden of trying to explain that, not just dealing with my own pain and sense of heartbreak.”
Abercrombie-Winstanley added: “Blacks have been in the foreign service being representatives of the United States since the late 1890s when we were sent out as envoys, so we have struggled with the contradiction of representing the nation and being disdained by the nation at the same time, and even so, we have served well.”
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Before Donald Trump threatened to violently suppress demonstrations in memory of Floyd, before the spread of recording equipment let the world witness how US police brutalise non-white bodies and before “I can’t breathe” became a global rallying cry challenging American cruelty and injustice, America tried to explain its racism to the world. It largely failed.
How The Story Got Told
European settlers made racist treatment of people of African descent integral to the entity that became America 400 years ago when they brought enslaved Africans to the colony of Virginia. Two centuries later, much of the economy of the independent US still relied on slavery as nations in Europe began banning the inhumane practice (while preserving other ways to oppress millions of people of colour).
Americans who escaped slavery began telling the country’s peers about their mistreatment in visits abroad and in their writings. Frederick Douglass saw his “Narrative” translated into French and Dutch and spent two years speaking to audiences across Ireland and Britain. There, “the chattel becomes a man,” he reflected. Other Black Americans later echoed that sense of feeling fully acknowledged as human beings when they were away from American racism, even in other societies designed to benefit white people.
The Civil War and subsequent emancipation brought the US in line with most European countries in barring the treatment of people as property. But it didn’t end white elites’ interest in sustaining their own power or widespread prejudice ― and Reconstruction, the crucial period of efforts to allow Black Americans to truly exercise their rights, was brief.
A trio of developments in the next few years ensured racism remained central to America’s identity and how it was perceived abroad. White politicians instituted Jim Crow laws to ensure that millions of Black people across the South were denied full citizenship. The US became more ambitious as its wealth and power grew, with the result that it announced itself as a major international player by successfully waging a war against Spain in 1898.
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W.E.B. Du Bois, the sociologist and writer, saw a moment for Black Americans to redouble efforts to look beyond the US in fighting for justice.
“It’s the era of post-slavery but really aggressive oppression so Du Bois is kind of Otto von Bismarck, writing to connect people,” said Stephen Casmier, an associate professor of English at Saint Louis University, referring to the German leader who drove the unification of German communities into one country. In his book “The Souls of Black Folk,” published in 1903, Du Bois argued “people of African descent all over the world were somehow connected together and involved in the same kind of struggle,” Casmier said.
Tying Black Americans’ plight to the pain of European colonialism in Africa showed that as America’s prominence grew, so would the world’s knowledge of its domestic failings ― and that as powerful Americans united with leaders of other countries to shape global affairs with little regard for most people of colour, other international bonds would flourish, too. Du Bois co-organised his first Pan-African Congress to try to shape the settlement after World War I. In the years that followed, some Black Americans who left for Europe, such as Josephine Baker, became cultural icons.
Global awareness about how discrimination was endemic in the US couldn’t force America to change its ways. But it helped make it harder to argue against reform.
By the middle of the 20th century, American officials often tried to describe their government as fundamentally opposed to racism and committed to tackling it for two major reasons, scholars said. Washington wanted to promote its defeat of the Nazis and their violent prejudice, and it was increasingly afraid of losing the global battle for public opinion to the Soviet Union.
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“The United States is participating in this global war against racism. Then you say, ‘Wait a minute, the United States is doing this with a segregated army,’” said Moshik Temkin, a historian at Harvard University. “That becomes a problem from a PR perspective. How are you actually selling the United States as a world democracy? It then becomes a severe geopolitical problem.”
Moscow highlighted American racism and atrocities such as the Birmingham church bombing in propaganda materials, particularly among the newly independent nations in Asia and Africa, whom both the Russians and the Americans wanted on their side in the Cold War and who were already angry with Europeans’ treatment of non-whites. US officials promoted examples of progress — such as the Brown v. Board of Education ruling ending segregation in schools — and started such programs as a jazz diplomacy campaign featuring Black musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Temkin said.
Louis Armstrong performed during a State Department-organized tour of Africa in late 1960. Three years earlier, Armstrong had refused to carry out a tour in the Soviet Union on behalf of the U.S. over the South's treatment of Black Americans. Susan Wood/Getty Images via Getty Images
Many Black Americans helped resist Soviet efforts to “shape truth” internationally, said Abercrombie-Winstanley, the former ambassador. She cited Carl Rowan, who ran the United States Information Agency under President Lyndon B. Johnson and was the highest-ranking Black person in government. Rowan publicised events such as the 1963 March on Washington, noting Johnson’s support for it and calling it, in a rebuke to America’s authoritarian rivals, “a moving exercise of one of the most cherished rights in a free society: the right of peaceful protest.”
But for others, it was crucial to challenge the narrative of a country whose reality they knew fell short of its sales pitch. Malcolm X travelled the world condemning American perfidy ― a headache for US representatives abroad who reported back on him and confronted him after he spoke at the Kenyan parliament, Temkin’s research shows.
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“The story is not African Americans against each other ― it’s more about what the American state was doing,” Temkin said.
For US leaders, the goal of projecting a less racist image influenced key decisions about how to respond to demands from the civil rights movement throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he added.
American officials also cited evidence of greater equality at home to counter global criticism of American actions abroad, such as the Vietnam War and supporting right-wing coups. “It acts as a cover for the other things that we do, whether it is waging perpetual war or destroying entire civilizations in the Third World,” Casmier said.
Since the end of the Cold War and the development of an increasingly connected world dominated by American media and business, foreign familiarity with US racial politics has likely only grown. Casmier, who is Black, thinks that could be a result of Black Americans’ experiencing what Du Bois called “double consciousness”: the sense of “always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.”
“Maybe that sense of double consciousness also invades our performances, and that’s why the images that you often see coming out of American protests seem so perfectly forged,” Casmier said. “They get inside of you in a certain kind of way.”
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That can boost solidarity. But foreign racists are paying attention, too. In countries such as France, where Casmier studied and regularly travels, more white communities are developing American-style obsessions, such as the fear that people of colour are exploiting national welfare systems, he said ― creating kindling for future conflict.
Being The Face Of A Troubled System
For representatives of the US abroad, conversations about America’s racism are unavoidable, morally fraught and rarely easy.
Black diplomats “have had to learn early on how to navigate the spaces of being truthful about what’s happening in the United States ― of expressing our dismay, our disgust, our heartbreak ― at the same time as expressing our hope for the future and our belief in what this country says it stands for,” Abercrombie-Winstanley said.
Past experience offers something of a playbook.
In times such as this, in the aftermath of the Floyd killing, “we have to balance that hope with reality. … We have to redouble our efforts,” she said. And that work isn’t just for the disproportionately low number of people of colour in the foreign service, she added: “We have to demand it of our European Americans. This problem isn’t an African American problem. This is a European American problem, and we are asking them to look to themselves: How are you dealing with your part of our greater community?”
Abercrombie-Winstanley added: “This burden is a European American burden, to get rid of this poison.”
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Tom Perriello, who served as a special envoy to the African Great Lakes region under President Barack Obama and has previously worked in conflict zones worldwide, regularly heard concerns abroad about race in the US, he told HuffPost.
“Sometimes that was done in a ‘gotcha’ way by countries that we had been pushing on their human rights records. Sometimes it was from allies and friends asking what the hell was going on,” Perriello said.
Perriello recommended breaking with the historic approach of “a largely white establishment foreign service that said the American project was perfect with one sin.” Instead, Americans should acknowledge that they have problems to reckon with and even show they have learned from the experiences of other nations in confronting painful truths about their own. He pointed to recent efforts to take down Confederate memorials in his home state of Virginia as an example.
Former Ambassador Dana Shell Smith was in her native California during the 1992 uprising that followed a jury’s decision to acquit white police officers for beating Rodney King, a Black man. She recalled foreigners frequently bringing up the unrest early in her career.
“White people shouldn’t be trying to speak to the Black perspective, but what a white diplomat can do is find voices who can and make sure to elevate and amplify those voices,” Smith said. She attempted to do just that while working in public diplomacy throughout the Middle East by organizing events featuring Americans of colour.
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It also helps for international audiences to hear from figures outside official diplomatic roles such as visiting lawmakers, said Perriello, a former congressman himself and now the executive director of Open Society-U.S. He cited trips abroad by Representatives Karen Bass and Barbara Lee.
And moments of deep symbolism beyond American representatives’ control can be invaluable in proving that faith in the US is worthwhile. Obama’s 2008 election “was like the greatest advertisement for what I always believed our country stands for,” Smith said.
The conduct of Obama’s successor has made it even more difficult to make America’s case in what was already a losing battle for global public opinion. Many diplomats have resigned under Trump, leaving the State Department over his public humiliation of veteran public servants, his racist rhetoric or the agency’s complicity in his extreme policies.
Those who remain now have to explain both a centuries-old American system of racism and an unprecedented authoritarian turn from a president facing a national crisis.
“This has been a challenge for many of the people I know in the foreign service from the beginning of this administration, but it is just crystallised to an enormous extent this past week,” said Laura Kennedy, a former ambassador.
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Kennedy recalled helping organize an American cultural exhibit in the old Soviet Union. In keeping with the regime’s goals, attendees would often ask questions designed to trip up the diplomats and the speakers they invited: Wasn’t the US based on the genocide of Native Americans, and how could it justify how it treated Black citizens?
“We were encouraged to give our own answers and draw on our experience,” she said. “At least you could talk about the fact that we have a free press, and we debate these issues.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--In Veto-Proof Majority, Minneapolis City Council Says It Will Dismantle Police Department

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Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council announced Sunday they will “begin the process of ending” the city’s police department following the death of George Floyd, which set off nationwide protests calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism.
“Decades of police reform efforts have proved that the Minneapolis Police Department cannot be reformed and will never be accountable for its action,” the city council said jointly at a rally on Sunday. “We are here today to begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department and creating a new transformative model for cultivating safety in our city.”
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The overwhelming support on the 13-member council reflects a veto-proof majority. It’s unclear so far what a new model of policing would look like, but the lawmakers said they would engage “with every willing community member in the City of Minneapolis over the next year to identify what safety looks like for everyone.”
Calls to defund or dismantle police departments have increased across the country over the last few weeks since Floyd’s death. A video capturing the moment — in which a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, killing him — ignited calls for dramatic change to law enforcement practices. Four officers have been charged in the killing, including Derek Chauvin, whose charges were elevated to the more severe second-degree murder.
Until the Minneapolis City Council’s announcement, local lawmakers around the country had been slow to implement any dramatic changes. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was booed at a protest on Saturday after he refused to commit to defunding the city’s police department as protesters chanted, “Go home, Jacob. Go home!”
Other lawmakers have announced partial cuts to local forces. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said up to $150 million would be diverted from the city’s police department and directed instead toward youth job initiatives. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed Sunday to cut police funding for the first time, although he did not provide a figure. The New York Police Department has an annual budget of $6 billion.
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Lisa Bender, president of the Minneapolis City Council, said Thursday that she felt the moment was right to dramatically shift policing in Minneapolis, citing deep political support and the ongoing protests across the nation. The council approved a slate of temporary changes on Friday, including barring officers from using chokeholds and upping the requirements for other officers to intervene if their colleagues use excessive force.
“We’re serious, and frankly I think the police department has started the process of dismantling itself,” Bender told HuffPost. “We really have no choice but to step back and say, what are the transformational changes we can make?”
The city council’s announcement on Sunday prompted immediate support from civil rights groups.
“Across the country, communities have been calling for fundamental change. Today, Minneapolis leaders are answering that call to action,” Local Progress, a project of the Center for Popular Democracy, said in a statement. “In bold solidarity grounded by the community, they are committing to fundamentally reimagining what true public safety looks like. This is a bold step — and, most importantly, a necessary one.”
BREAKING: Minneapolis City Council members have announced their intent to disband the Minneapolis Police Department and invest in community-led public safety. — ACLU of Minnesota (@ACLUMN) June 7, 2020
Thank you to the thousands of community members who have raised your voices to demand change. Thank you to @reclaimtheblock & @BlackVisionsMN for inviting us in. Today is a beginning. Minneapolis: we invite you to be part of building a system so our whole community is safe. https://t.co/fMaCw8HfyH — Lisa Bender (@lisabendermpls) June 7, 2020
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Bender wrote on Twitter that the news was a “beginning” for the city, thanking community members for raising their “voices to demand change.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--ICUs, Mortuaries And Prisons: The NHS Heroes Sent Into The Unknown When Covid-19 Hit

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Nurse Matthew Knight has worked for the NHS in north-west London for the past 18 years. Usually, he can be found in the pre-assessment unit at Northwick Park Hospital, preparing patients who are set to go under the knife.
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“I’m the person that will do the MOT test on patients to make sure they’re fit for surgery,” he said. “So I will check their blood pressure, do swabs to make sure they don’t have any infections and do blood tests on them.”
But by mid-March, with coronavirus deaths in the UK rapidly increasing, Matthew and his colleagues knew that the unit would be shut down as the hospital focussed on fighting Covid-19.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen after that,” the 37-year-old said. “Were we going to come into work and just do stocking or tidying up?”
On March 20, he found out. “My manager called me in and said: ‘I know you might say no, but I have to ask the question. How do you feel about working in the mortuary?’
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“I thought about it for about two seconds before I agreed,” he said.
“I had worked in A&E before, I had seen dead bodies before, so I could handle it. My manager was shocked, but I was OK with it.”
Matthew is just one of what is thought to be thousands of medics who have been redeployed during the Covid-19 pandemic as the NHS has focused its resources on fighting the virus that has killed more than 40,000 people in the UK.
On March 23 – the day Boris Johnson announced the country would be going into lockdown – Matthew started his first shift in the mortuary.
Matthew Knight was redeployed to the mortuary at Northwick Park Hospital, in Harrow. Supplied: LNWH. Supplied: LNWH NHS Trust.
Usually, mortuary staff at Northwick Park Hospital tend to five or six patients a day. At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, they were seeing between 25 and 30.
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Matthew was one of several staff redeployed to the department to help deal with the increase.
“The first person I saw was someone who I actually knew. Which was a shock to me – a big shock,” he said. “At first I thought: ‘Is this a joke? Are they just testing me out to see if I can handle it?’ But no, it obviously wasn’t a joke.
“I held myself together, even though it was obviously very, very traumatic.”
During his time in the mortuary, the nurse saw “a lot” of patients he had pre-assessed for surgery during his almost two decades at the hospital.
“It was very hard at first,” he said. “But I can’t stress enough that I had a fantastic team around me. They were so good, really supportive. They kept my head above water.”
As the mortuary dealt with an influx in patients, it was Matthew job to check-in each one, taking their name and measurements and checking for pacemakers and cannulas.
“Me, personally, I’m a very caring person, I like caring for people,” he said. “And this is somebody’s loved one. So I like to give people respect and the final treatment I can give them. Especially patients I actually did know.
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“I know it was difficult, but in a way it was comforting that I was sending them off on their last journey – making sure they were OK, making sure they were decent, looked presentable. Treating them with respect, really.”
Despite the impact the role has had on him, Matthew – who lost two of his own close relatives to coronavirus – said he would do it again, describing it as “rewarding” work.
“Being in the mortuary, it puts things in perspective,” he added. “Life is too short. Life is too short to hold onto grudges, to argue about trivial things.
“There were certain family members I didn’t talk to for a long time – I speak to them now. I look at the world differently.”
Like Matthew, Alex – a junior physiotherapist at Northwick Park Hospital – was redeployed to deal with the hospital’s huge influx in coronavirus patients.
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Junior physiotherapist Alex Bereziuk was moved from outpatients to the ICU Supplied: LNWH NHS Trust
In mid-March, a critical incident was declared at the hospital after it ran out of intensive care beds amid a major surge in Covid-19 patients.
Originally Alex, who was working in the outpatients unit before Covid-19 hit, was redeployed to the pharmacy unit, delivering medication to patients who were shielding.
But as coronavirus cases continued to rise – and the hospital expanded its intensive care unit to deal with more and more seriously-ill patients – the 26-year-old was asked to join a “proning” team on ICU.
Proning plays a key role in treating some coronavirus patients, Tariq Husain – a consultant at Northwick Park Hospital who led the intensive care unit at the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak – explained.
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“If we can’t get enough oxygen into someone on a ventilator, we sometimes turn them from lying on their back to lying on their front,” he said. “That’s called proning.”
In normal circumstances, you can expect to find one patient lying on their front in intensive care.
Tariq said: “With the Covid pandemic, the main issue was getting oxygen into people’s lungs. Proning people became a very common thing that we did, so much so that we set up proning teams.”
Alex – who had worked on ICU once before as a student – was on one of these teams, which was made up of anaesthetists and fellow physiotherapists. At one point, they were proning 15 or 16 patients each shift.
“It was quite intimidating to start with,” Alex said. “Our training helped us a lot – but it was different in terms of the volume of patients in intensive care and the turnover of patients in there, with some of them sadly passing away.
“Before, when I had worked in intensive care, I think only one patient had passed away. In Northwick Park, we were hit quite badly. So the turnover of patients was quite hard to deal with.”
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It was an “intense” job, Alex said. “I think at the time, it was more about – not surviving – but getting through each shift and focusing on that, rather than all the negative aspects that were happening. And focussing on the patients that we could help.”
Alex Bereziuk and other medics in PPE Supplied: LNWH NHS Trust
For Tariq, it is the staff who were redeployed to the ICU – like Alex – who were the “true heroes” of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Stepping inside intensive care in normal circumstances would be pretty scary on your first day in a new job,” he said.
“But working in intensive care and then the enormity of what was happening – it was extraordinary, actually. I think that they’re the true heroes of it all.”
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After two months in ICU, Alex has now been redeployed again to a newly-formed Covid rehabilitation team, which gives “really intense physiotherapy” to coronavirus patients who are well enough to be moved from intensive care to other wards.
“It’s been quite nice,” he said. “I’ve seen some of the patients I was proning on intensive care while they were sedated get better and have been able to do a bit of rehabilitation with them in ICU.
“Now they have been discharged to the wards – where I am now – so I have followed them through the whole process.
“There’s some patients I have seen since day one of their admission, and we have got them all the way back through to walking and sent them home. It’s really rewarding.”
But NHS staff weren’t just redeployed within hospitals when the coronavirus outbreak hit. Some were sent to prison.
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Emily Stephenson is a sexual health nurse in Guildford. Yet at the start of the coronavirus crisis, she was drafted in to work at HMP Downview, a closed category women’s jail in Surrey.
It was the middle of March when she found out she would be redeployed, with sexual health clinics forced to streamline services to adhere to social-distancing guidelines.
Sexual health nurse Emily Stephenson was redeployed to a prison in Surrey Supplied: Emily Stephenson
“I was thinking I was probably going to be sent to a hospital or something and I was quite nervous about it,” the 44-year-old said. “I didn’t really want to go to a hospital – I didn’t want to see people dying. It was just awful.
“Then I got the call from my boss saying they wanted to send me to one of the Surrey prisons. Of course, I was really excited that I wasn’t being sent to a hospital. I was like: ‘This is amazing, I’m so pleased, so relieved.’
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“Then I put the phone down, walked downstairs and said to my family: ‘Oh hold on, I’m going to prison.’”
Emily was one of seven nurses who were redeployed to prisons in Surrey to cover staff shortages as the service prepared for possible coronavirus outbreaks among prisoners.
“I sat there and I thought: ‘Oh my goodness, I see things that happen on the news and I think they’re terrible people that go into prisons. How am I going to feel when I go in there?’”
But despite her reservations, she has found the experience “amazing” – and is even considering a future career in prison nursing.
“I literally love it,” Emily explained. “You’re going in there and your job is to look after these people and do it to the best of your ability. My attitude is that you have got to be kind and give your best.”
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To date, there haven’t been any cases of coronavirus in the prison, Emily said. Instead, her work has been focused on providing healthcare to the prisoners, while trying to limit face-to-face contact amid social-distancing rules.
“I’m a big believer in rehabilitation and supporting people, even if I just make a difference in the five or 10 minutes I see them,” she added.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--How I Cope: Cycling Gives Me A Sense Of Freedom In Lockdown

The bike was an impulse buy. It was early March and lockdown still felt strangely distant, but it was getting harder to ignore the sense that we were heading for something we didn’t fully understand.
When I walked into the second-hand shop I had no idea what I was looking for, and didn’t know any of the right words to describe what I wanted. Twenty minutes later I left, my bank account £80 lighter, with a slightly rusty – but sufficiently solid-looking – set of wheels.
In the hasty hours before deciding to buy the bike I had imagined myself breezily freewheeling through town with a baguette and a newspaper in a basket. In practice that first trip – one overcast Tuesday afternoon – was 90 minutes of clutching the handlebars so tightly I could barely feel my fingers, each wobble on the cycle path a reminder of exactly why I hadn’t taken this up sooner.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Bored Of Your Workspace? Here's How To Give It A Makeover

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The novelty of working from home has well and truly worn off. While being able to work remotely is a huge privilege, it’s okay to admit you’re sick of looking at the same four walls.
Monotonous scenery day-in, day-out can be a killer for motivation – especially without the commute or a lunch break with a colleague to break up the day. And for thousands across the country, it doesn’t look set to change any time soon.
There are some DIY solutions that may help switch things up short-term, such as using an ironing board as a standing desk, or facing the window for a different outlook. But if those aren’t quite cutting it, a work station makeover may be in order.
We asked Sharmeen Shahid, an interior designer at homeware marketplace Olivia’s, for her top quick fixes.
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1. Make that blank wall interesting
Been sat staring at the same blank wall for 12 weeks? Same. Shahid recommends giving your eyes some excitement, without having to paint or drill holes.
“Pictures, prints and graphics quickly accessorise an otherwise plain wall, but what can make the area really stand out is how you display them,” she says. “Opt for different sized frames, with varying textures, that create a feature wall worth looking at.”
Shahid recommends hanging your prints with frame stickers where possible, rather than nails, as this gives you the option to switch up the design whenever you feel like it. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Etsy
Shell Green And Gold Hanging Photo, Oliver Bonas, £26
Oliver Bonas
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2. Bring the outdoors in
House plants continue to be a big interior trend, so now’s the time to get green-fingered if you haven’t already. “House plants are particularly effective when used in a home office space as well, because they exude a calm tranquil atmosphere that’s conducive for productivity,” says Shahid.
She recommends purchasing three plants and scattering them around the room for optimum effect. “You could have one larger standing plant in a corner, a hanging planter from the ceiling, and then a quaint potted plant on your desk or on a nearby shelf,” she says.
“I really like plants that have hanging leaves, when put on a higher shelf or hung from the ceiling. They accessorise a wall in a really bold yet delicate way.”
There’s also the option of buying faux plants, if you don’t want to maintain them in the long-term or have a chronic inability to keep plants alive.
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Oliver Bonas
Patch Patch
Artificial Fern in Concrete Pot, Dunelm, £8
Dunelm
3. Jazz up the floor
Rugs are often overlooked, but are effective in changing the look of a room in an instant, says Shahid.
“Moroccan rugs have been popular recently – and for good cause as the patterns and colours are quite understated, therefore easy to apply to a room’s interior,” she says. “If your home office is plain and you’re looking to add a bit of personality, go for a more bold rug that adds a pop of colour and texture.”
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Put the rug in the middle of the room to make it the star of the show, or under your feet by your workstation to make the area feel extra special.
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habitat
Made.com Made.com
4. Add some desk side details
If you haven’t got the time or budget for a big makeover, all is not lost. Simply placing something small and bright in your eye line can boost morale.
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You could look around your house for any trinkets – be it a card from a loved one, a photo that makes you smile, or a lucky charm you have – and add them to your desk area.
Or, if you’re looking for some new accessories to brighten up your space, these may be worth investing in.
John Lewis JL
Etsy Etsy
Monki Tiger Print Pot, ASOS, £8
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Kisiel With Summer Fruits And Meringue Clouds Is A Perfect Family Dessert Recipe

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Life under lockdown is tough on anyone, but it can be especially tough on parents with children. Months of juggling full-time childcare with work, as well as supervising homeschooling or making the tough decision of sending them back to school on June 1, will have no doubt taken its toll – which is why we’re launching a weekly series on recipes to make at home with all the family.
As we head into warmer weather territory and start to crave lighter, cooler dishes, food writer, cookbook author, and TV producer Zuza Zak gives us a taste of her Polish childhood with a tart and sweet Kisiel dessert recipe. It’s ideal for al fresco dining and a refreshing end to any meal with an option to add crunchy meringue clouds into the mix, which kids will no doubt love.
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It’s a great opportunity to get them involved, too. From whipping the cream with an electric hand whisk to piping the meringues, let them participate in each part of the process – that means less work for you and a bit of light distraction for little ones, too.
Kisiel with Summer Fruits and Meringue Clouds
Serves: 6-8 | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins | Cool Time: 15-30 mins
Laura Jayne Edwards Kisiel with Summer Fruit and Meringue Clouds
The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity and Zak recommends when cooking with kids that you don’t want anything overcomplicated. “As with any kind of cooking, this recipe teaches them to follow simple instructions,” she advises. “Making the meringues is especially fun for the kids. My 4-year-old daughter likes to mix while things are cooking on the hob, this makes her feel particularly grown-up. Of course, I’m always there by her side when she does this.”
Because of its high fruit content, it’s relatively healthier than most desserts. “From a health point of view, it shows kids how to associate fruit with a fun dessert,” Zak explains. “My daughter is crazy about raspberries, whipped cream, and meringues, so she loves everything about the raspberry Kisiel!”
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Ingredients:
For the meringues:
2 egg whites
Pinch of salt
100g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Raspberry:
2 heaped tablespoons cornflour
400ml filtered water
400g raspberries, plus extra to decorate
100g caster sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Gooseberry:
2 tbsp cornflour
400ml filtered water
400g gooseberries
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Redcurrants and/or cherries to decorate
Method:
1. First make the mini meringues: preheat the oven to 120 degrees C (240F) and line a tray with baking (parchment) paper.
2. Whisk the egg whites and salt together in a very clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form.
3. Gradually, add the sugar and vanilla extract, whisking all the time until you achieve a thick, glossy mixture. Spoon this into a piping (pastry) bag fitted with a plain, round nozzle (tip) and pipe at least 12 small clouds onto the baking tray. Bake in the oven for an hour and a half then allow to cool with the door ajar.
4. Combine the cornflour (cornstarch) with half of the water and mix well until smooth. Pour the remaining water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low, add the water-cornflour mixture and keep stirring until it thickens considerably (about 2 min).
5. Put the fruit and sugar into a food processor or blender with the lemon juice or vanilla. Blitz briefly, some fruity bits should remain.
6. Add the fruity mixture to the thickened water-cornflour in the pan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down again and allow it to simmer, whilst stirring, for about a minute. Remove from heat.
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7. Rinse your serving bowls in cold water and pour the fruity mixture into them. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge for at least 30min.
8. Whip the cream to stiff peaks when you are ready to serve your Kisiel. Place 2-3 dollops of whipped cream on each serving, top with a meringue cloud or two and some fresh fruit.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--I’m Pregnant And Working Two Jobs On The NHS Coronavirus Frontline, Just To Bring My Husband Home

Pregnant woman standing against the window chatsimo via Getty Images
These have been tough times for all of us. And like many key workers – I’m a coordinator at an NHS cancer care clinic – I’ve appreciated the shows of support each Thursday. But in reality, it feels like we’re key workers only when it suits the government’s narrative. We’re risking our lives on a daily basis, but the salary we get for it doesn’t match up – and because of that, many of us are denied the most basic right: the right to a family life.
As well as making sure people get the life-saving care they need, I’ve been working a second job throughout the pandemic. Meanwhile, I’m pregnant with my second child, and am bringing up my first alone. To say that it hasn’t been easy would be an understatement. The reason I’m in this situation is this: despite risking my life working for the NHS during the pandemic, rules put in place by my own government mean I don’t earn enough to have my husband here.
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I’m British and have lived here all my life. My husband is from outside Europe (Nigeria, to be precise). Because of this, I need to be earning at least £18,600 a year for him to even be eligible to apply for a visa to come and join his family here. My job running the cancer care clinic doesn’t pay that, so I had to find another job – also a frontline role – to try and push my income over the line and get my husband here in time to witness the birth of his second child. In the meantime, I’m working two jobs and bringing up our child alone, during a global pandemic.
As a Black woman, I feel doubly punished. We know that, statistically, I’m more likely to get sick – and more likely to die if I do – from Covid-19. And one of the reasons I’m so at risk is that I’m working not just one but two frontline jobs during the pandemic, trying to earn enough to sponsor my husband’s visa and bring my family together. Like the virus, the Home Office’s income rule does not affect us all equally. In an unequal society, I am statistically less likely than a white counterpart to be earning enough to have my family together, because of the ethnicity pay gap (combined with the gender pay gap). The government knew when it brought in these rules that they would discriminate against people from some minorities – but it went ahead anyway. So that’s where I’m stuck at the moment.
“Every day I think about what would happen to my 16-month-old son, and to my unborn child, if something happened to me.”
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The thought of anything happening to me terrifies me. Every day I think about what would happen to my 16-month-old son, and to my unborn child, if it did. I lost an aunt to Covid-19 last month, so the fear is very real. I love my job, and yet I can’t help but worry every day. I take public transport to get into work, and I’m working two frontline jobs where it’s difficult to properly socially distance. What if I’m the next person to go?
Our son is already having to grow up without his dad here, and these income rules are the only reason. He last saw his dad almost five months ago, and that was only for about two weeks. On Skype, when we have calls with his dad, our son doesn’t even seem to know who his dad is anymore. It’s heart-breaking for my husband, and for me.
Seeing my son grow up without his dad by his side makes me so angry. We’re told that family is a basic human right, but under the current system, it’s not one we all have equal access to. There’s no difference between me and the people who put these rules in place back in 2012 – so why do they have the right to enjoy a family life, and I don’t?
When I started out on this journey, I was living in a bubble. I knew I was affected, but I had no idea that tens of thousands of others were, too. We’re not asking for a miracle. All we want is to have our families together. To do that, the government just needs to get rid of this outdated rule. Trying to explain it to people is difficult, because it makes no sense to them. Me and my husband are married, but because I don’t earn enough, he’s not allowed to build a home here with us. Once he’s here, he’ll be working to support us – and he wouldn’t even be allowed to access benefits in any case, as a condition of his visa. I’m suffering because of rules that make no sense – all they do is harm families like mine. Who benefits?
I’m the first to admit how easy it is to become discouraged. It’s hard to feel like you have the power to overcome the whole government. But it has been done, and it can be done again. As long as we don’t give up, there’s strength in numbers – and we know there are huge numbers of people out there calling for change. We just need to be strong and take action. An Immigration Bill will be going through Parliament over the next few weeks, and MPs will have a chance either to scrap these unfair rules, or vote to extend them to the hundreds of thousands of British people with a partner from Europe. So there’s never been a more important time to stand up for our rights.
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We could just give up, but we need to be strong – if not for us, then for the children growing up without one of their parents because of these rules. We need to believe that better days are ahead, for them at least.
Barbara is a NHS worker, writing under a pseudonym


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--White Women, I’m Glad You’re Showing Up. But I’m Not Sure I Trust You Just Yet

LOADING ERROR LOADING
I moved to Los Angeles in 1992, the year a jury with no Black people on it acquitted the four policemen who had administered that horrific, now-infamous beating to Rodney King. I was 25 years old and had never before seen anything like what I was witnessing; the world was on fire.
A man with a video camera just happened to have captured King’s beating from his apartment balcony across the street from where the LAPD stopped King’s car. It was a rarity for the time ― this was pre-social media ― so the world was shocked to see the proof of the savagery that Black people had been screaming about for decades.
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Some of us, for the first time in our lives, felt a semblance of vindication — for finally, there was evidence that could not be disputed. It was on film, it was on the news, and it was on the front page of every newspaper. I felt the collective anger and sorrow of my Black brothers and sisters. Still, surprisingly, at the time, I felt hostility-tinged apathy from a number of the white people in my life.
With a few exceptions, these white people were resistant to discussing the real causes of our civil unrest with me: slavery, lynchings, Jim Crow, segregation, the war on drugs, police violence against Black men, systemic racism, privatised prisons, etc. But they were annoyingly vocal in their support for the ‘real’ victim, Reginald Denny, the white truck driver who was ripped from the cab of his truck at Florence and Normandy and beaten nearly to death during the riots.
For more than a month, Los Angeles was divided in an insurmountable way. And during that time, I felt like some of my white friends showed me who they really were.
I was drowning in a sea of outrage and sorrow, and bitter about the fact that some people were unwilling to join me in it. I felt especially betrayed by white women, as I know how powerful their sway is. When they have a cause, they take over the stage. And they do not stop until they have been heard by everyone who has ever mattered.
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But circa 2020, those white women are with us now. They are marching alongside us; they are calling their congressperson and crying out for change; they are showing their solidarity on social media (post after post after post ― and yo, you can chill on that a little, we get it).
They’re giving us the support I longed for and needed back in 1992. They have shown up in a big way, and some compelling people are taking notice. But here’s the thing: I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that support now. My experiences with the Karens of the world have left me feeling salty. I’m trying really hard not to conflate the actions of those Karens with the many, many beloved and well-intentioned white men and women in my life today, but honestly, it has not been easy.
It’s harder still when I see posts like “All Lives Matter” in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Please don’t do that ― not only is it missing the point, but it serves to lessen the gravity of our cause. Don’t call or text me and ask me what to read or how to support me. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m exhausted and depleted; I’m put-a-fork-in-me-done with all that — please figure it out among yourselves.
“Some of us are dealing with unprecedented grief. We are broken with pain and unvalidated anger.”
There are one or two white women in my life that are killing me right now because they have enacted what I call the “Black by association” clause. Weaponizing the fact that they have Black spouses, friends, or even children and thinking that it entitles them to weigh in on and share our experience with equity. Nah, sistah, it really doesn’t, so please just take a seat.
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Also, please know I don’t have the bandwidth to help you process your break-ups, financial fears or your issues with your housekeeper. Right now, none of those things are a priority in my life, and I don’t feel safe discussing them with you.
And don’t text me with some aggressively chipper message on Monday mornings, either. We can’t bear anything that smacks of normalcy. Our world is anything but typical, so please tone it down out of respect. Some of us are dealing with unprecedented grief. We are broken with pain and unvalidated anger.
Before you click over to the comment section to troll on me, be aware that I know how this sounds. I might be coming off as judgmental and callous (sorry about that). But please understand that we’ve been through Covid-19, three months of quarantine, Breonna Taylor being murdered by the police in her sleep, Ahmaud Aubery being hunted and gunned down by a former cop and his son, Christian Cooper being targeted by Amy Cooper (no relation), and now George Floyd ― it’s a lot.
I am too full of emotion to even begin to know how to respond to anything. Though I’m not leaving the house very often, I feel like I don’t have any time to process what’s going on. Sometimes it’s like I’m the one who can’t breathe. This week, I’ve had Black friends who called me after breaking down in tears “for no reason” in a meeting, eating breakfast, or even during a workout. I have Black friends who have had to take themselves off text chains and stopped answering their phones.
We are heavy with unnameable grief. We are suffering.
And all the stuff that usually works to make things better isn’t working. “This, too, shall pass” isn’t happening. For the first time in years, I am stumped as to how to help my fellow brothers and sisters. The most we can manage for each other are occasional two-word inquiries by text, like “You OK?” or “Checking in.”
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On the other hand, I also have dear, dear white friends who are taking action that does not require a black co-signer. They are educating themselves and each other, donating to worthy causes like the Bail Project, posting links to Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility on social media, and taking responsibility for their own actions in a way that does not make Black people responsible for their guilt. For them, I am truly and utterly grateful and can fully embrace your attempts to support and nourish me. You all know who you are.
White women, I’m not saying that you can’t be scared, outraged or sad. I’m not saying that we don’t appreciate you and your efforts to connect. I understand that you’ve lost something, too, and I want you to feel your sorrow and indignation. But please know that your grief doesn’t automatically entitle you to an invitation to our wake. Many conversations need to be happening right now, but some of those can only occur between people of colour.
This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Can Keir Starmer Win The Radio Phone-In Vote?

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Knight rider
There are only two politicians in my working life who have pulled off the trick of being known by their first name among the general public: Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone. It may have something to do with ‘Boris’ and ‘Ken’ being short names easy to fit into tabloid headlines, their approachable street appeal and their relentless talent for using their celebrity to get on any media available. Both were deeply divisive, yet in their pomp both won voters beyond their own party.
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Johnson and Livingstone had something else in common: hosting radio shows for years on LBC. Today, we saw the latest incarnation of the format as Keir Starmer held his inaugural ‘Call Keir’ on the London-based radio station that has a growing national audience online. It’s unlikely that Starmer will gain the first-name status of the former London Mayors, but anything that builds his profile beyond Labour members and Westminster is obviously politically crucial.
In fact, despite the show’s title, almost none of the callers called the Labour leader ‘Keir’. Instead, they almost all called him “Sir Keir”. Was that down to the general public’s good manners, deference to titles or sheer suggestibility (prompted by the real ‘host’, Nick Ferrari’s, constant use of the term)? Maybe a bit of each.
What we do know is that Starmer prefers to drop the ‘Sir’. In Hansard he is referred to as “Keir Starmer”. He’s said he’s “really proud” of his knighthood (awarded for services to law and criminal justice after he stepped down as Director of Public Prosecutions in 2014), but doesn’t “particularly like titles”. When DPP, traditionally addressed as ‘Director’ by staff, he told colleagues “call me Keir”. It’s a rider, or caveat, he uses whenever he meets someone tempted to use the title.
And it was his background in law and order that came to the fore when asked about the Black Lives Matter protests in Bristol and London. Starmer said it was “completely wrong to pull a statue down like that” (winning him a news headline). But he also managed to express his loathing for Edward Colston for trading in 100,000 slaves, adding the detail that they were branded on their chests with the name of the company that he ran. That was a sharp contrast to No.10’s refusal to say whether the PM abhorred the memorialisation of Colston.
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On the policing of the statue’s toppling, he praised the local police superintendent for resisting actions that could have made the situation worse. There was a key line about his experience of “in the control rooms with senior police officers” and not second guessing their ‘real time’ decisions. Again it came across as supportive of the police, while sharing protestors’ motivations.
Populists on the right and left ride waves of anger like surfers, but Starmer evidently won’t play that game. He condemned his colleague Barry Gardiner for attending a protest without social distancing, saying he was “wrong to do it”. “If you’re a member of parliament, you lead by example,” he said (knowing that under Jeremy Corbyn the leadership example may well have been to join the protest).
At the same time, Starmer managed to articulate eloquently just how he felt when he saw the George Floyd footage. His reference to the emotional impact of “someone almost talking through their own death” was one thing, but even more powerful was his attack on the “chilling” “nonchalance” of the expression on the face of the police officer who killed him.
Starmer’s critics (on both Left and Right) want to use the events of the last few days to shoehorn him into a “culture war” narrative. Tory MPs in Red Wall seats believe that desecration of war memorials like the flags on the cenotaph, plus attacks on Churchill’s statue, stir strong feelings in working class voters. But in drawing a clear line between protest and criminal activity Starmer sounded like he wouldn’t let others define his position for him.
Most of all, Starmer wants to use things like his LBC appearance to get across that he would be more competent than Johnson, as well as more compassionate. Sounding measured and reasonable without losing any passion against injustice is one of the most difficult things to achieve in politics, but the Labour leader knows it’s his only route to power.
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A snap YouGov poll appeared to support his balancing act on the Bristol statue controversy. Whilst 53% of Britons support the removal of the Edward Colston statue, only 13% approve of the way in which it was done and 33% oppose the removal in any capacity. Starmer’s reasonable tone (plus his moving account of his mother’s debilitating health condition) may help him win round the key radio talk show segment of the electorate.
The one awkward moment (other than him saying he was not trying to put up ‘rival’ systems on coronavirus, while doing exactly that on a superfast testing-and-quarantine system) came on the topic of Europe.
Starmer tried to say the Leave/Remain divide was over, and the argument was now about what kind of Brexit happened. Yet he ducked the key question of whether he would prefer to extend trade talks rather than see no deal. That’s a question that he can’t duck for much longer, even though he rightly said the 80-strong Tory majority was what would drive the decision.
And it’s climbing that mountain of seats that is his real focus. There are tentative signs that Labour is starting to narrow its gap with the Tories, just as Starmer is catching up in the personal ratings with Johnson. This weekend, Opinium and Deltapoll put the gap at just three, and Survation claimed a huge cut in the Tory lead from 11 points to just two.
To get ahead in the polls, he’s going to need to show how Labour has changed, and not just its leader. He’s also going to have to appeal not just to news-hungry LBC or TalkRadio listeners or SkyNews viewers (who are a tough enough crowd). He’s going to have to grab the attention of Magic FM and Smooth radio fans who spend a minute out of every day focused on politics. Sir, or no Sir.
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Quote Of The Day
“I mean, that’s the law of the jungle, isn’t it?”
Peter Mandelson condemns ‘mob rule’ that led to the toppling of the Colston statue
Monday Cheat Sheet
Health secretary Matt Hancock said that Covid-19 in the UK was ‘in retreat’ after new figures showed the lowest daily rise in the number of deaths (up 55 to 40,597)) since before lockdown on 23 March. The number of new UK cases on Monday (1,205) was also the lowest since then.
A national Covid-19 social care support taskforce will be led by David Pearson, a former chief of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. All staff and residents at 6,000 care homes for adults with disabilities in England will receive coronavirus tests.
Home secretary Priti Patel told MPs she had been called ‘Paki’ as a child, after Labour MPs accused her government of failing to understand structural racism within the UK.
Several Tory MPs trom the Blue Collar Conservatism group joined others in cleaning graffiti from the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.
The music venue Colston Hall in Bristol confirmed it would have a new name by this autumn, but had decided to immediately ditch the sign on its building.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Investigation Launched After Black Man Dies In UK Police Custody

Simeon Francis Supplied
A police watchdog investigation is under way after a Black man died in custody.
Simeon Francis, 35, was found unresponsive in his cell at Torquay police station on May 20, and later pronounced dead.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Francis was arrested at around 1am that day on Cowley Bridge Road in Exeter.
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He was transported by police van to Torquay police station, where he was booked into custody at around 3am.
IOPC regional director Catrin Evans said the watchdog had received a mandatory referral from Devon and Cornwall Police following Francis’s death.
“Our thoughts are with Mr Francis’ family and friends following his death,” she said.
“We will be keeping his family updated during the course of our independent investigation.
“Our investigators have begun gathering evidence and statements from officers.
“We are analysing a considerable amount of CCTV footage from the custody suite.
“We are looking at the level of care provided during the period of detention, including the frequency and adequacy of checks carried out.”
An inquest into Francis’s death was opened and adjourned last week by the Plymouth Coroner.
The IOPC said a preliminary post-mortem examination had taken place, but has not identified a cause of death and further tests will be carried out.
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This comes as Black Lives Matter protests are taking place across the UK after George Floyd, a Black American man, was killed by police officers.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Exclusive: Dozens Of Councillors Demand Oxford University Remove Cecil Rhodes Statue

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Dozens of city councillors have joined renewed calls to remove the statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes from a college at Oxford University, HuffPost UK can reveal.
The move comes as Black Lives Matter protests have been sweeping across the world calling for an end to anti-Black racism.
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The 26 Labour Party councillors are calling on the university to work with Oxford City Council, residents and trade unions to “make Oxford a truly anti-racist city” by immediately removing the state and associated plaque.
“Cecil Rhodes was a white supremacist who believed in brutal colonial rule and subjugation across Africa and the world,” an open letter by the local leaders read.
“A city’s public art and monuments should reflect its values. The presence of this statue on our High Street is incompatible with our city’s proud internationalist heritage and commitment to anti-racism.”
A statue of Cecil Rhodes is displayed on the front of on Oriel College. Carl Court via Getty Images
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This comes as the Rhodes Must Fall Oxford campaign group, alongside other student groups, penned an open letter to the university’s vice-chancellor arguing that the institution has only made “inconsequential inroads” into tackling the material legacy of imperialism, adding it “is not enough”.
Thousands of people have signed two new petitions calling for the statue of colonialist Rhodes at Oriel College to be taken down, it emerged on Monday.
“We as city councillors support the Rhodes Must Fall campaign in its demands for the removal of the Cecil Rhodes statue from Oxford’s High Street and endorse its wider campaign to decolonise Oxford University,” the councillors said.
This follows a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol on Sunday which saw a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston pulled down and thrown into Bristol Harbour by protestors.
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Demonstrators will protest in front of the Rhodes statue in Oxford on Tuesday as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
They want iconography that “glorifies” Rhodes to be removed from the university.
It comes amid a wider “decolonise” movement sweeping universities across the world in recent years.
The university recently delayed publishing its admissions data on the diversity of its students in light of “world events”, HuffPost UK revealed on Thursday.
The educational institution has previously come under fire over the lack of diversity among its student body.
There is no place for statues that venerate vile anti-black racists in South Africa, the US, Bristol or Oxford.#BlackLivesMattters #RhodesMustFall #BlackLivesMatterUK
Join us this Tuesday @OrielOxford https://t.co/wYmYjV3dXn pic.twitter.com/cVn2uWYgZF — Rhodes Must Fall Ox (@RMF_Oxford) June 7, 2020
Letter co-signatory Shaista Aziz, councillor of Rose Hill and Iffley, told HuffPost UK: “I was born and raised in Oxford. The divide between the town and gown is along race, class and economic lines and it’s as entrenched as it was when I was a kid.
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“The statue of Rhodes represents the glorification of a white supremacist who built his riches on the backs of the brutal subjugation of Black people has no place in our city’s High Street. This statue should be in a museum with a plaque providing accurate information about who this man was and what he represents.
“Oriel College and the university have so far refused to listen to Rhodes Must Fall campaigners, students, academics and the people of our city who have demanded Rhodes must go.”
“Over the past week we have seen thousands of people from across our city joining Black Lives Matter protests against structural racism that impacts our lives. These protests have been organised and led by young Black people - and are not like protests we’ve seen before in Oxford,” she added.
The Rhodes Must Fall movement was established in 2015 at Cape Town University, and later spread to Oxford, where students demanded that the statue of Rhodes was removed from Oriel College.
In 2016, Oriel College decided to keep the statue despite widespread student demands to remove it. Campaigners from the Rhodes Must Fall group argued that the row illustrated Britain’s “imperial blind spot”.
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Rhodes Must Fall Oxford has compiled this video of Oxford students and alumni speaking out against antiblackness and police brutality#DefendBlackLife#BlackLivesMatter#RhodesMustFallpic.twitter.com/Y4SAUP1DFF
Donate here: https://t.co/mq5Kvy66GB — Rhodes Must Fall Ox (@RMF_Oxford) June 4, 2020
Femi Nylander, one of the original Rhodes Must Fall campaigners, said the university made “a series of promises” to Black students around the curriculum and access and representation following the movement in 2015.
But he said these never materialised and the statue was not removed.
The open letter to the university, signed by more than 6,600 individuals and organisations, outlines five steps that campaigners want the university to take to “make upholding anti-racist values a reality”.
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Layla Moran, who is MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said: “The statues of white supremacists and slave merchants should not still be standing in our cities. That’s why the statue of Cecil Rhodes must come down.
“I’m not endorsing vigilante action, but I would urge Oriel College in the strongest terms to think about what message this statue sends in 2020, and to remove it.”
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Rhodes was the founder of the southern African colony Rhodesia, modern day Zimbabwe, which was named after him in 1895. He was admired by Hitler and had a reputation for being racist.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Murder Probe After Sisters Found Dead In Park Following Birthday Party

Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman. PA Media
A murder investigation has been launched after two sisters were found dead in a park following a birthday party.
Police are treating the deaths of Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, as “suspicious” after they were found in Fryent Country Park, in Wembley, north-west London, on Sunday afternoon.
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Detectives believe they were among a group of around 10 people who gathered in a spot, which is popular for its views over London, from 7pm on Friday to celebrate Henry’s birthday.
They are thought to have been left alone together as others left throughout the evening, and were reported missing to police on Saturday when they did not return home.
Police were called shortly after 1pm on Sunday to find the sisters unresponsive and they were pronounced dead at the scene.
The families of Smallman, from Harrow, and Henry, who lived in Brent, have been told.
UPDATE: We've launched a murder investigation following the deaths of two sisters in #Wembley.
Were you in #Fryent Country Park on the evening of Friday, 5 June, or early into Saturday, 6 June? You could assist detectives.
Read more: https://t.co/hIvzTya9zk — Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 8, 2020
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Detectives are treating their deaths as suspicious and a murder investigation has been launched.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding said: “We are in the very early stages of the investigation and are working hard to find out what led to these two women losing their lives.
“Their families have been devastated by their loss and they need answers.
“They have asked that their privacy is respected at this time as they come to terms with this horrific incident.”
Officers are calling for anyone who was in Fryent Country Park on the evening of Friday June 5 or early into Saturday June 6 to contact them.
“The area the group were situated in is around a five-minute walk from the Valley Drive entrance of the park, leading to a hill area,” Harding added.
“The area the group were in would be a well-known spot to sit and look over London.
An extensive crime scene remains in the park as investigators search for clues but there have been no arrests.
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North west borough commander Roy Smith, added: “This is an awful incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their family.
“We are working closely with the investigation team to ensure we get answers to what has happened. Local officers will be conducting reassurance patrols and will be happy to speak to any concerned residents.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--How Bristol Tore Down The 'Cult' Of Slave Trader Edward Colston

The statue of Edward Colston sunk quickly into water it had looked out on for 125 years.
“Goodbye, Mr Colston,” shouted one onlooker, over the cheers of the crowds that had gathered on both sides of the harbour. “Fuck you.”
Colston was the deputy governor of the Royal Africa Company (RAC) from 1680 to 1692, at that time Britain’s only official slaving company. He wasn’t just involved in the slave trade – he ran it.
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For many, the sight of his statue dropping to the bottom of the River Avon, at the exact spot his ships would have once left for West Africa, was a fitting end to more than a century of his presence in the city centre.
Throughout his 12 years as the deputy governor of the RAC he was responsible for the transportation of some 84,500 enslaved men, women and children. Almost 20,000 of them did not survive the journey, and were thrown overboard.
“The statue went up in 1895. Most people think it’s 1721, the year of Colston’s death,” said historian Dr Rob Ball, a Bristol-based research fellow at the University of Sussex who specialises in urban riots, slavery and Colston himself.
He is also a member of volunteer-led organisation Countering Colston, which opposes the public celebration of the slave trader.
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He continued: “Colston is a kind of cultist construction. He was reinvented in the Victorian period by a bunch of merchants and businessmen who decided they would make him their icon.
“For them, as a philanthropist, he fulfilled two things: ‘moral saint’ and ‘merchant prince’. He did give money away but the question is: where did that money come from?
“He was a leading figure in the organisation of the early stages of the slave trade.”
One protester kneels on the neck of Edward Colston, a symbolic gesture referencing the death of George Floyd. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Despite his legacy, Colston’s name is everywhere in Bristol.
The statue might have been pulled down, but you only need to look up to see the words “Colston Tower” bearing down at you from a high-rise office block. The wide street that sweeps through the centre of the city is called Colston Avenue, and The Colston Arms sits just a short walk away.
Progress towards wiping Colston’s name from some of the city’s most prominent buildings and landmarks has been made in recent years, slowly but determinedly.
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Colston Hall, the city’s most prominent concert hall, is undergoing refurbishment. When it reopens, in time for its 150th anniversary, it will do so with a new name.
In 2018, Colston’s Primary School held a three-month consultation and voted to change to Cotham Gardens Primary School, and Bristol’s oldest craft beer pub – known for a time as Colston Yard Pub – is now known as the Bristol Yard Pub. Bristol Cathedral and the Wills Memorial Building, part of the University of Bristol, have also both added prayers and plaques respectively, referencing the horror of Colston’s past.
The statue was perhaps the most tangible symbol of Colston’s legacy in Bristol – yet even with petition after petition and endless debate, nothing could be done about his statue.
For the entirety of its history, the statue has only had one plaque, which read: “Erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city.”
Rather than being funded democratically, as the plaque suggests, it was financed by a relatively small number of wealthy residents who idolised Colston as a philanthropic hero.
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Protesters rolling the statue of slaver Edward Colston towards Bristol's harbour. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Taught as such in schools across the city for decades, it is this image of Colston that still lingers for some who oppose the dismantling of the statue and other rebranding exercises.
Ball explained: “Slavery’s history was obscured for a long time, until the 1920s when a local reverend wrote a book which exposed Colston’s involvement in the slave trade.
“This knowledge has been around for about 100 years, and it’s taken 100 years to actually get somewhere, I think.
“It’s come much more to the surface now, and we can talk about the fact that it makes people feel uncomfortable and as though they’re not part of the city.
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“Lots of white residents hate it, but I was talking to a Black friend recently and she told me: ‘All it represents to me, as a Bristolian, is that I’m not part of this city.’
“Unfortunately, there was a real job done on the city in the Victorian period to really push him as the city’s father. They propagated loads of myths and drove a coordinated campaign to build him into the city’s history. They achieved that, and it survived.”
Colston's statue being hurled into the River Avon on Sunday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
In 2018, a campaign for a second plaque set out to correct the misleading portrayal of Colston’s life and address the “active role” he played in organising the slave trade. By March 2019 it was ready to be affixed to the statue, but was halted after a historian intervened on behalf of the Society of Merchant Venturers – many members of which were historically involved in the slave trade.
The Bristol Post reported at the time that disputes arose over “changing the word ‘trafficked’ to ‘transported’ and maintaining a lengthy dispute about the numbers and ages of the thousands of children who died on board Colston’s ships,” among other purported issues.
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In recent days, as Black Lives Matter protests began to spread across the world, the statue received renewed focus. More than 11,000 people signed the petition calling for it to be taken down, hoping this might be the moment it was finally dismantled.
Tearing down a statue is not an unprecedented act in Bristol. In 1812, a group of protesters toppled a statue of King George III, who they perceived to be an anti-democratic oppressor. In 1831, crowds systematically destroyed four prisons and a number of other significant buildings in the city during the Reform Riots.
“Bristol crowds party a lot, but at the same time they know what their targets are,” Ball said. “This [the toppling of Colston’s statue] was no different.
“It was highly symbolic that it was dragged a long way all the way to Pero’s Bridge.”
The bridge – named after Pero Jones who was brought to Bristol in 1785 – is the only place in Bristol named after an enslaved person.
Ball continued: “That, to me, was the crowd saying: ‘We recognise what this means. This has meaning, it isn’t mindless, irrational disorder or a feral youth.’
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“It was a very, very conscious decision to make it a symbolic act and to really say something which was: ‘We should not be continuing to celebrate, commemorate or memorialise slave traders.’”
There have long been calls for a museum dedicated to highlighting Bristol’s involvement in slavery, but no such space has ever been approved or opened.
Passers-by look at the pedestal of the toppled statue of Edward Colston on Monday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The city’s uncomfortable relationship to its own past has repeatedly been the source of debates and discontent, and groups of residents have occasionally taken matters into their own hands to erect plaques highlighting Bristol’s history.
But there are hopes that the aftermath of the Colston statue’s destruction could lead to a more mainstream discussion about who the city really wants to commemorate.
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Ball explained: “It’s not erasing history, because this history is in the history books. Most of the memorials and statues in Bristol were put there by a Merchant elite – it’s not our landscape, it’s somebody else’s.
“It’s so important to study how and why icons were created historically. I sort of think it would serve a function in a museum, but also probably more was done yesterday to put slavery in people’s minds than any number of museums.
“You can always find out about Edward Colston, but if you wanted to find out about the people who actually fought slavery – whether they were enslaved Africans or Bristolians – you had to go to a museum, a library or an archive.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-08--Priti Patel: I've Been Racially Abused In The Street – Don't Lecture Me About Inequality

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Priti Patel has hit back at claims the government doesn’t understand racial inequality, telling MPs: “It must have been a very different home secretary who as a child was frequently called a P**i in the playground.”
On Monday, during a discussion about the Black Lives Matter movement, Labour MP Florence Eshalomi said the government must do more to show that Black lives matter in the UK.
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“Does the home secretary actually understand the anger and frustration felt by so many people?” Eshalomi asked Patel. “Does the home secretary recognise that this protest has been led by young people?
“Does the home secretary recognise that there is structural inequality, discrimination and racism in our country? Does the home secretary recognise that people want to see action from this government?”
Labour MP Florence Eshalomi London Portrait Photoqrapher-DAVID WOOLFALL
But Patel said she was “really saddened” by Eshalomi’s suggestion government ministers didn’t understand racial inequality.
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“Well, on that basis, it must have been a very different home secretary who as a child was frequently called a Paki in the playground – a very different home secretary who was racially abused in the streets or even advised to drop her surname and use her husband’s in order to advance her career,” Patel told parliament.
“A different home secretary recently characterised – if, madame deputy speaker, I can say so – in the Guardian newspaper as a fat cow with a ring through its nose, something that was not only racist but offensive, both culturally and religiously.”
The cabinet minister said she would not take lectures from the opposition “when it comes to racism, sexism, tolerance for social justice”.
“I have already said repeatedly there is no place for racism in our country or in society, and sadly too many people are too willing, too casual to dismiss the contributions of those who don’t necessarily conform to pre-conceived views or ideologies about how ethnic minorities should behave or think,” Patel said.
“This, in my view, is racist in itself.”
Sitting opposite @pritipatel as she uses her identity as an Asian person to silence @FloEshalomi as a black person, because Flo very reasonably questions this government’s policies that institutionally discriminate against black AND Asian people.
I feel sick. — Nadia Whittome MP (@NadiaWhittomeMP) June 8, 2020
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