One moment in particular the toppling of a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol quickly became the centerpiece of the debate. The memorial was dragged off its plinth with ropes and tossed into the harbor.
To many it was criminal damage “thuggish behavior,” as Home Secretary Priti Patel wrote in the Telegraph that undermines a legitimate quest to end racism. Some questioned why, despite the ongoing pandemic, protesters broke social distancing rules in order to wage a battle that originated on the other side of the Atlantic and criticized the police for not acting more forcefully.
Others, however, questioned why the statue had survived for so long when it had been a source of anger. For many, Britain’s own battle against racism was self-evidently still raging, or as footballer Raheem Sterling put it: “The only disease right now is the racism that we are fighting.”
The divide over the issue between left and right was most starkly highlighted by the responses of two national newspapers, the right-wing Daily Mail and the left-wing Daily Mirror. The Mail screamed LAWLESS & RECKLESS beneath an image of the statue being dumped into the water, while the Mirror used the same image over the headline: THE MARCH FOR CHANGE.
For the government, the protests could not have come at a worse time. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Downing Street needs to keep social order to ensure people follow lockdown rules. If the police appear to be undermined, it could pose a problem for their authority just as the country grapples with the biggest crisis it has faced in decades.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson put out a video statement Monday evening acknowledging “there is so much more to do in eradicating prejudice, and creating opportunity.”
But he urged protestors not to let the coronavirus take control again by ignoring lockdown measures. “I will not support those who flout the rules on social distancing, for the obvious reason that we risk a new infection at a critical time and just as we have made huge progress.”
He also underlined the government’s intention to get tough on rulebreakers: “I will not support or indulge those who break the law, or attack the police, or desecrate public monuments.”
Johnson insisted the U.K. is not a racist nation, but his spokesman refused to be drawn on whether having statues to slave traders in Britain is a bad thing, despite being asked repeatedly by reporters during a briefing Monday afternoon.
The prime minister doesnt doubt that there continues to be discrimination and racism but does not agree that this is a racist country, the spokesman said. We have made very significant progress on this issue but there remains more to do and we will not be complacent in our efforts to stamp out racism and discrimination where it happens.
That racism remains a pernicious force in British society is undisputed by all but a tiny fringe.
Conservative MPs from black and minority ethnic backgrounds lined up to condemn the activists who opted for violence and vandalism. Former Chancellor Sajid Javid, who grew up in Bristol, said on Twitter: I detest how Edward Colston profited from the slave trade. But, THIS IS NOT OK. If Bristolians wants [read more] to remove a monument it should be done democratically not by criminal damage.
Many made similar arguments Monday afternoon in the House of Commons.
“The best way to ensure that black lives matter is peaceful protest, working on ways to improve social justice, and improve economic opportunities for black people,” said Conservative Bim Afolami. “Not lawless, senseless violence, of a small minority, defacing war memorials [and] public moments, because that can undermine the whole message and indeed the Black Lives Matter movement as a whole.”
The far right took an even more extreme view. Former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage warned that a new form of Taliban was formed in the U.K. over the weekend, adding that full-on race riots are now possible. He said on Twitter: Unless we get moral leadership quickly our cities won’t be worth living in.
Patel told the Commons that “justice will follow” some of the violence, though added that the majority of demonstrators were peaceful. She urged people not to attend future protests, saying large gatherings were “currently unlawful” because of the coronavirus lockdown measures.</p>
Case for the defense
On the other side of the aisle, a different view had formed.
While she too condemned violence, Labour’s Florence Eshalomi questioned the government’s approach.
“Does the home secretary actually understand the anger and frustration felt by so many people?” she asked. “Does the home secretary recognize there is structural inequality, discrimination and racism in our country? My son turned three yesterday. I don’t want to wait until he is a teenager before we see changes in this country.”
In response, Patel said she was “really saddened” at the suggestion the government didn’t understand racial inequality. “It must have been a very different home secretary who as a child was frequently called a ‘paki’ in the playground,” she said. “Sadly too many people are too willing to casually dismiss the contributions of those who don’t necessarily conform to preconceived views of how ethnic minorities should behave or think. This … is racist itself.”
Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who sits on the House of Commons committee on women and equalities, told POLITICO in an interview that seeking prosecutions over the Colston statue and fishing it out of the water would mean treating it better than black people.
The MP for Streatham argued black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people who die in police custody or get deported by the Home Office do not get the same treatment, and that incidents of violence and vandalism on the streets do not distract from the main message of the protests.
Ribeiro-Addy said there were numerous incidents of racism throughout British history and until the government is willing to address that and actually apologize for slavery and colonialism, this country will be seen as racist as ever.
Fellow Labour MP Diane Abbott, the former shadow home secretary, also defended the protesters on Twitter, while colleague Zarah Sultana said: Instead of statues glorifying racist, murdering slave traders in our city centers, let’s teach the brutality of British colonialism in our schools.
Despite insisting he did not condone criminal damage, Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy compared demonstrators to Martin Luther King, adding: Im quite sure that those young people who brought that statue down knew that they would be facing the law. But that was a price that they were prepared to pay.
Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, was less emollient, telling a radio phone-in that pulling down the statue was completely wrong although he argued it should have been taken down long ago.
Corona times
One challenge for the government now is how to avoid fueling bad feeling given the disproportionate impact the coronavirus has had on ethnic minority communities.
I think people are reacting to this because of what’s happening with BAME people and Covid, Ribeiro-Addy said, arguing that not enough was being done to protect those communities from the disease. She added that the way the government addresses the issue will be a pivotal moment in the U.K. fight against racism.
Leading that fight will be Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, who is heading up a review into the disparity of outcomes from Covid-19.
“Black lives do matter and if we’re to truly tackle racism and improve the lives of black people in Britain, and achieve true racial equality, we have to do so by moving beyond platitudes and stereotypes,” she tweeted Sunday. “So I will be focusing my work on the next stages of Public Health England’s review into the effects of Covid-19 on BAME communities.”
Kate Day contributed reporting.
How a slave trade statue highlights divided Britain
