THE big issue of the week is Black Lives Matter.
There can be no question that they do.
Most of us have been appalled at the death of George Floyd by police officers who should not have used force, let alone to the sickening extent that they did, ending the life of a man who struggled to breathe under their custody. That it is not an isolated case is what shames us all.
It is not unique to the United States, it is a stain on us here.
And that some people have been angry at the protests that have followed is equally concerning.
All lives matter some quarters say. Yes, they do, but that ignores what is being said by the protesters.
That statue in Bristol should have stayed put, some say. Well, people have been trying to remove it for years and failing. It is good that it is gone.
And the protesters will lead to a second wave of the coronavirus. Yes, it quite possibly will. But we need to ask ourselves why did so many take to the streets at a time of a global emergency to show how they felt?
This is not a party political issue. This is not a cause or a campaign. It’s not just about one man. It’s about ensuring that the inequality and discrimination that black people face is ended, once and for all.
We all have a duty to do better. We have to ensure that this is a watershed moment in world history that will never be erased.
We have to lead by example and we have to set any prejudices we have aside.
#BlackLivesMatter
The originally published version of this editorial said that the sickening action of the officers who killed George Floyd was ‘a moment of misjudgement’. We have changed the wording to make our anger at what happened clearer.
