UK PM Johnson says Britain's anti-racism demonstrations 'hijacked by extremists'

The United Kingdom Prime Minister on June 12 took to Twitter to warn that the anti-racism protests in the country had been ‘hijacked by extremists’ who were attacking national monuments in an effort to ‘censor’ the past. Boris Johnson’s statement comes after a famous statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was defaced last weekend amid the ‘Black Lives Matter’ demonstrations sparked by George Floyd’s death.

While calling the incident 'absurd and shameful’, Johnson said that the state is a reminder of the achievement in saving the country from fascist and racist tyranny. In a series of tweets, the UK PM also called Churchill a ‘hero’ and said that he fully ‘deserves his memorial’. On the hand, the demonstrators blame the former PM for policies that led to the death of millions during the famine in the Indian state of Bengal in 1943. 

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UK PM understands the ’outrage’ 

Johnson also said that now one can not try to edit or censor history. He added that the statues and monuments in the cities and towns were put by previous generations and to tore them down would be to lie about the country’s history and impoverish the education for generations to come. While he also said that he completely understands the legitimate feelings of outrage and the desire to protest against discrimination, he also added that he ‘recognises’ that there is much more work to do to fight racism.  

Floyd’s death triggered demonstrations, not just in the United States, but protests took place in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Nottingham as well. The demonstrators in Britain reportedly said that they wanted to shine a spotlight on the impact of institutional racism in the UK. However, with demonstrations turning violent and protesters vandalising states, Johnson said that he will not support those who break the law and attack the police. Meanwhile, the protests in the UK also follow recent high-profile stop and search in the capital amid COVID-19 lockdown. 

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READ: Statues Boarded Up In London Ahead Of Anti-racism Protests