Crowds of Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathered in London for George Floyd’s funeral this afternoon as police officers in Henley-on-Thames ‘take a knee’ at a protest in Oxfordshire.
Around 200 protesters had gathered by the statue to Nelson Mandela on Parliament Square as Mr Floyd, an African-American who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes, was laid to rest in Houston, Texas.
At 5pm the crowd moved on to the gates of Downing Street passing a handful of Londoners who had formed a protective ring around the statue of Sir Winston Churchill to stop it being vandalised, as it had been during Sunday’s protest.
Faded graffiti calling Churchill a racist was still just about visible as the men kept watch under the eyes of the Metropolitan Police.
Outside Downing Street, the small crowd continued to chant ‘Black Lives Matter’ and hold aloft placards calling for racial equality.
The imposing security gates guarding the official residence of the Prime Minister have become a focal point for protester’s anger over the last week.
However, unlike previous protests, which have exploded into violence and seen officers attacked with bottles and other missiles, tonight’s gathering was peaceful with no outbreaks of disorder.
There was only one brief flare-up when some of the group protecting the Churchill statue back on Parliament Square reacted angrily to a man they accused of spitting on the floor close by. Police quickly moved in and calmed tempers.
It comes as Black Lives Matters supporters have 60 UK statues they want removed for ‘celebrating slavery and racism’ as councils and museums rushed to remove their controversial monuments after Edward Colston’s was torn down in Bristol.
Another protest kicked off in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, where officers were seen joining around 200 protesters in ‘take a knee’ with placards reading ‘black lives matter’ and ‘government silence is compliance’. And activists have gathered at Oxford University’s Oriel College demanding remove the statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes, which has been at the centre of a long-running row.
Black Lives Matters activists and another group clashed this afternoon close to the Winston Churchill statue, just days after it was vandalised
A group of men clash with police defending the statue of Churchill this afternoon as Black Lives Matters protesters paid tribute to George Floyd whose funeral in taking place in Houston, US
A man holds a cross with an England flag on top of it as police guard the statue of Winston Churchill this afternoon
Met Police created a circle of protection for the statue of Winston Churchill this afternoon as BLM activists and another group clashed
Demonstrators and their dogs during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square, following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis
Demonstrators ‘take the knee’ during a minute’s silence at a Stand up to Racism protest in front of a statue of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square this afternoon
Protesters remained outside Downing St until nearly 6pm when they dispersed.
A group of them returned to Parliament Square and confronted the men protecting the Churchill statue and there was a brief face-off as police got in between them.
Most of the protesters soon moved away but a handful remained and became involved in heated discussions with those guarding the statue.
One middle aged man was moved on by police as tempers threatened to boil over.
As he left Parliament Square he said: ‘I told some of the protesters that black people had slaves as well.
‘They were throwing accusations around but I said I was proud of my race, as they were proud of their race.’
Herman Williams, 35, led many of the chants and said he wanted to fight for justice for his father of the same name, who he said was a victim of the Windrush scandal.
Amid chants of ‘come out Boris’, he said: ‘There needs to be a public inquiry into my father’s death.
‘I support Black Lives Matter, because this is black life. I am black life.
‘I want the Government to make new legislation. The Government always say one thing, then don’t act on what they say – just like when they apologised and said they are going to compensate us (the Windrush generation).’
A bystander who identified himself as T Briggs urged the crowd to avoid violence ahead of the event.
He told the PA news agency: ‘It’s devastating, it’s disappointing the way police have been treating black people in the case of George Floyd in America.
‘But the Americans have been looting and being violent. We cannot be like that in the UK.
‘If you want to carry out a protest, do it peacefully. That’s the only way your voice can be heard.’
Demonstrators outside Downing Street in London, as the funeral of George Floyd takes place in the US following his death on May 25 while in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis
A masked protester holds up a placard this afternoon saying ‘It’s 2020…Why are we still asking 4 equality’ as they walk to Downing Street
Around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the gates at Downing Street on Whitehall, central London, this afternoon
Black Lives Matter demonstrators outside Downing Street in London, as the funeral of George Floyd takes place in the US following his death on May 25 while in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday June 9, 2020. See PA story POLICE Floyd. Photo credit should read: Victoria Jones/PA Wire
Police in Market Square, Henley on Thames, for Black Lives Matter with a silent kneel to remember those who have lost their lives because of racism
Another protester – who gave her name only as Adassa, 64 – said she joined the march despite the coronavirus pandemic because racism is ‘worse than the virus’.
She said: ‘My son got stopped (by police) three weeks ago … they had him in a handcuff like he was a criminal, telling everybody: ‘that boy is going around robbing’.
‘Not everybody is the same. We’re here for justice and equality. We want to make a change and to make a difference.’
In Oxford hundreds of demonstrators have silently sat down to mark the death of George Floyd at an anti-racism protest in Oxford.
Several hundred people had gathered outside the Oxford college, chanting ‘take it down’ below the statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes.
The protest has now taken up a large amount of Oxford high street outside of Oriel College, with demonstrators holding up their fists and remaining silent for eight minutes, 46 seconds in memory of Mr Floyd.
A police helicopter is overhead and several police officers are at the demonstration, including two officers on the steps of the college.
It comes Black Lives Matters supporters have 60 UK statues they want removed for ‘celebrating slavery and racism’ as councils and museums rushed to remove their controversial monuments after Edward Colston’s was torn down in Bristol.
Demonstrators are seen beside a statue of Nelson Mandela during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square today
BLM activists gather outside Downing Street this afternoon ‘Black Lives matter, we want justice and equality’
People gather during a rally at the entrance to Downing Street, London, to commemorate George Floyd as his funeral takes place in the US following his death on May 25 while in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis
Protesters demand the statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes be removed from Oriel College, Oxford this afternoon
Protesters demand the statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes be removed from Oriel College, Oxford
Some of Briton’s most famous people are on the hit list including imperialist Cecil Rhodes in Oxford, slave-trading West India Docks founder Robert Milligan at the Museum of London, and the Edinburgh statue of former Home Secretary Henry Dundas who delayed the abolition of slavery as well as a statue of Sir Francis Drake on Plymouth Hoe.
The interactive map, called ‘topple the racists’, was set up by the Stop Trump Coalition in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and lists plaques and monuments in more than 30 towns and cities across the UK. The online list is unregulated and can be added to by the public.
And this afternoon, amid growing pressure to act, the Museum of London has moved to take down the giant bronze figure of plantation and slave owner Robert Milligan outside.
A spokesman said: ‘The Museum of London recognises that the monument is part of the ongoing problematic regime of white-washing history, which disregards the pain of those who are still wrestling with the remnants of the crimes Milligan committed against humanity. We are currently working with a consortium to remove this statue’.
It comes as the statue of slave trader Robert Milligan has been removed from its position at West India Quay, east London.
Workers prepare to take down a statue of slave owner Robert Milligan at West India Quay, east London as Labour councils across England and Wales will begin reviewing monuments and statues in their towns and cities, after a protest saw anti-racism campaigners tear down a statue of a slave trader in Bristol
Tower Hamlets Council removed the figure shortly after 7pm on Tuesday, using a JCB to lift it from its plinth.
In a statement on Twitter, the council said: ‘Tonight, we have removed the statue of slave trader Robert Milligan that previously stood at West India Quay.
‘We have also announced a review into monuments and other sites in our borough to understand how we should represent the more troubling periods in our history.’
It came after charity Canal and River Trust, which owns the land where the statue is located, said it would organise its ‘safe removal’ following a petition launched by Tower Hamlets Labour councillor Ehtasham Haque demanding it be taken down.