The Black Lives Matter demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd were a historic response to racism – the legacy of slavery and colonialism.
Bristol, a major centre of Britain’s role in the international slave trade, remains a major centre of ethnic inequality, especially for Bristolians from a Black African and Caribbean background.
For years, the people of Bristol called for the statue of Edward Colston, a public celebration of a slave trader in the centre of Bristol to be removed, and finally in June 2020 the people of Bristol pulled the statue down themselves.
Today the Colston Four, just four of the hundreds of Bristolians protested that day were acquitted on all charges after being unjustly targeted.
But the Government’s draconian Policing Bill will undoubtedly be used to launch futher prosecutions against anti-racist activists
And instead of hearing the demands of the Black Lives matter movement, the government’s racist offensive continues as the Nationality and Borders Bill today reached the House of Lords.
It’s absolutely vital that we make 2022 the year of resistance to the racist offensive, step up our campaigning work and create the most powerful movement possible against racism, including the March Against Racism on UN Anti Racism Day on 19 March, our first major demonstrations since 2019, taking place in London and Glasgow, with a march in Cardiff the following day, Sunday 20 March. The demonstrations are part of internationally coordinated demonstrations – see world against racism.org for list and map of protests.
