The United Kingdom Prime Minister has attacked a minority of Black Lives Matter protesters for acts of violence and vandalism that have followed the recent protests to be experienced across the British Isles.
As a result, activists have hit back and accused PM Johnson of “stoking fear and division” ahead of the upcoming weekend scheduled protests at a time where coronavirus social distancing is meant to be upheld.
In an interview hosted by The Guardian, Johnson said: “we should not support a demonstration that is in all probability–looking at what’s happened before–going to end in deliberate and calculated violence.”
“A growing minority, unfortunately, have hijacked [the protests] and they are using them as a pretext to attack the police, to cause violence, and to cause damage to public property,” he added.
More statues, including Robert the Bruce at the historic site of the Battle of Bannockburn, were also vandalized–even if there is no evidence of their being racist according to contemporary progressive standards.
Johnson continued: “The statue of Winston Churchill, who is a national hero, has had to be boarded up for fear of violent attack; and that, to me, is both absurd and wrong.
“They’ve already made hundreds of arrests in the last few days–they will make many more because, believe me, they can see the culprits, the culprits believe they got away with it but they haven’t, because, overwhelmingly they’re being recorded with bodywarm camera.”
On the statue of Winston Churchill requiring protection before the protests, Johnson tweeted: “The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country – and the whole of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny.”
He added: “It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should today be at risk of attack by violent protestors. Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial.”
It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should today be at risk of attack by violent protestors. Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial. 2/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
Johnson, attempting to explain the historical context of past events, went onto tweet: “We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations.
“They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come.”
They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come. 4/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
Britain’s BLM protesters have stolen the limelight in Europe as several protests have gripped global headlines as tensions heated up in the past week.
