Open national BLM activists meeting – Monday 15th June 6pm – register now

Please see if you can attend the national open meeting for BLM activists being hosted by Stand Up To Racism today at 6pm

Stand Up To Racism is hosting a meeting to discuss the issues confronting the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and the demands coming out of it.

To join this discussion please register in advance.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-lives-matter-we-demand-change-standuptoracism-activists-meeting-tickets-109174770678?ref=estw

The inspiring Black Lives Matter anti-racist movement that has taken to the streets in the US, Britain and across the world, ignited by the police killing of George Floyd in the US, has exposed the racism at the heart of the system.

This movement has also shone a light on Britain’s imperialist and colonial past following the removal of Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol by protesters and the decision by the Museum of London to remove the Robert Milligan statue in West India Quay in east London. There is now a debate about removing other statues such as Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College, University of Oxford.

Meanwhile, the Covid19 crisis continues to disproportionately blight the lives of black communities with figures showing that 34 per cent of deaths were those from BAME communities. Black Caribbean communities are four times as likely to die and BAME communities overall twice as likely to die than their white counterparts. The rapid economic contraction that follows a decade of austerity is also disproportionately impacting on BAME communities.

Hundreds of thousands of new activists have organised the most incredible movement. We want to start a discussion on what demands we raise, change we want to see and how to organise. We want to continue to organise and to make sure that anti-racist organisation is built in every town and city, every workplace and every community.

Some of the demands already raised include:

1. POLICING: Suspend and charge police officers involved in deaths in police custody; end stop and search; racist attacks and murders must be investigated and charges brought.
2. COVID-19: A public inquiry like the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, into the disproportionate deaths in BAME communities.
3. NHS: resources and support for BAME workers to ensure health and safety; an examination of the disproportionate GMC referrals for BAME doctors; BAME workers to be able to report incidents anonymously.
4. EDUCATION: decolonise and depoliticise – the curriculum to must include Britain’s imperialist, colonialist history and enslavement of Africans; decision making on the curriculum needs to lie with teachers not politicians; action on racist bullying in schools.
5. IMMIGRATION: Full citizenship rights for all, end detentions and deportations. Justice for Windrush, refugees welcome.
6. HOUSING: Justice for Grenfell, social housing.
7. ECONOMIC: Investment not cuts. Reparations for slavery for Caribbean families, slavers got reparations, it’s time the descendants of slaves got reparations too.

Tell us your views. Stand Up To Racism is hosting an open #BlackLivesMatter activists meeting on Monday 15 June at 6pm.

Please join us to talk about how can all play a part in taking the movement forward. To join this discussion please register in advance.