BLM London Protest

[vetran]

There will still be police. Consider RUC and PSNI as a historical comparison.

Well it appears the intention is that new force will be quite different.

[Old Greg]

Well it appears the intention is that new force will be quite different.

The intention was that the PSNI would be quite different from the RUC.

But I do get what you mean. They want more of a focus on harm reduction and rehab for drug use. But they are not looking to abolish policing.

[Whorty]

Remarkable. On leaving the benevolence of white colonial rule in 1966, it had a GDP of 51 million. Now it's nearly 19 billion.

Diamonds

[caffeine man]

The problem with the 'all lives matter' and quoting black on black murder statistics misses the point of why the protests are happening and is part of the problem.

George Floyd did not deserve to die and was entitled to a fair trial and this is not an isolated incident. I believe that there is inherent and systemic racism in Western society - especially in America and it needs to be addressed.

Yes there are issues with black-on-black killings and gang culture and crime - why do you think this is? Is that how they were when they were kidnapped and shipped over into slavery or did they become like that over generations of being forced into slavery, poverty and being denied opportunities?

We've done this - we're responsible and that statue coming down in Bristol is a step in the right direction when it comes to targeting the root cause.

And yes there are lots of people exploiting these protests from organised criminals (like the ones we had in 2011), antifa, virtue signalling corporations/celebrities/influencers - and you can bet political campaigns on both sides leading up to the US election.

But that doesn't take away from the fact that these protests are for a specific race that have deep rooted societal disadvantages that we have given them. Obviously all lives do matter but that doesn't negate the validity of the BLM movement.

/virtue_signal_off

George could have had a fair trial. But he decided to be awkward, and refused to get in the car. His autopsy showed he had opiates and crystal meth his blood. No doubt that affected his judgement


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[mrdonuts]

I'll tell you when I see one. Why don't you have the courage to tell us what you think of Africa and black people, rather than asking your dog whistle questions?

just for the record i think africa and its people are great

it doesnt blinker my thinking though, i still want to understand why their economies and social structures are a mess

[Old Greg]

George could have had a fair trial. But he decided to be awkward, and refused to get in the car. His autopsy showed he had opiates and crystal meth his blood. No doubt that affected his judgement


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He was asphyxiated to death by a police officer. You forgot to mention that bit.

[mrdonuts]

i see from this mornings news people are pushing for a curriculum in schools to teach african history, i wonder if it will include the capture and enslavement of 1.25 million europeans or will that be conveniently forgotten?

[Old Greg]

just for the record i think africa and its people are great

it doesnt blinker my thinking though, i still want to understand why their economies and social structures are a mess

Research it then, and educate yourself. You'll find that there are a range of factors influencing development and differing views. You'll also find that there is no monolithic analysis that can be applied to the whole of Africa. Ghana is very different from DRC. Likewise Botswana from Zimbabwe.

The tricky bit for all of us is trying not to fall into a confirmation bias trap by selecting the analysis that fits our preconceptions.But firstly, I think you need to remove the premise of your question. Rather than asking:

" why are African countries' economies and social structures a mess?"

Maybe ask

"what are African countries and economies social structures like and why?"

Also, consider what makes a country a success or otherwise (we can use economy here as a short-hand perhaps). Is it how they compare to global averages now, or is it how they have fared since independence?

Lots of complexity in there.

[Old Greg]

i see from this mornings news people are pushing for a curriculum in schools to teach african history, i wonder if it will include the capture and enslavement of 1.25 million europeans or will that be conveniently forgotten?

Three points here.

Firstly, it is not a fact that 1.25 million Europeans were enslaved. Doubtless hundreds of thousands were, but the research which states "...the figure could easily have been as high as 1,250,000" is itself challenged. This does not equate to "the capture and enslavement of 1.25 million europeans". There's no need to present the highest number you think you can get away with.

Secondly, Africa really can be divided into sub-Saharan and North African. They have very different histories, particularly before the "Scramble of Africa", with North Africa really being part of Mediterranean history (consider North Africa's Phoenician, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine and Ottoman influences). The calls for teaching African history may be more about sub-Saharan history, as North African history is already included in the teaching of the Western ancient and medieval world. But if it is about Africa as a whole, then of course it should be included.

Thirdly, I was taught about this at school, mainly within the context of the Barbary Wars.

[vetran]

He was asphyxiated to death by a police officer. You forgot to mention that bit.

He was restrained (probably too aggressively from the pictures) by three Police officers one of which was obviously of African descent while a fourth police officer present was Asian by descent. This resulted in his death.

If the Armed robber, drug user, 5 times prisoner, intoxicated giant George Floyd is entitled to a trial maybe a decorated 20 year veteran Police office is entitled to a trial?