From The Guardian

To be Black is to suffer perpetual wounds. Here's how you can make a difference

The Guardian | Protest -

I grew up facing attack after attack on myself and others. Today each of us has a role in the fight for Black lives

I was nine when I was first called a n---- while walking to my mom’s car after school.

Ten when I watched the savage beating of Rodney King by the Los Angeles police department on television. Eleven when I saw the flames and ashes of a city burning after four police officers were found not guilty.

It has been grace, and grace alone, that has spared me from the violent deaths perpetrated against my brothers and sisters

We are our brother’s and sister’s keeper and each of us has a role in this fight for Black lives

Demilitarize the police. Decrease law enforcement budgets and reinvest those resources to fund schools, libraries, quality healthcare, parks, childcare, jobs, interventionists and a youth development system. Community safety does not come from cops – strong institutions ensure communities can thrive.

Support organizations led by, serving and in service to Black people. Support those who organize, agitate, resist, disrupt, demonstrate and advocate to ensure that Black lives are not expendable. The people have the power – fund organized action.

Interrogate what being an ally truly means. Use your voice. Be bold and take a stand: equivocation fuels inequity. If you have privilege, use it, leverage it. There is nothing revolutionary about recognizing your power and doing nothing with it to advance social change and end systemic racism.

You are either for Black lives or you are not. Systemic racism permeates every system – law enforcement, education, health, transportation, housing, the economy, the environment and even philanthropy, the system in which I work. Are you hiring Black people? Are they tokenized or in leadership positions? It’s not complicated. Oppression is operational. Disassemble it and undo the status quo.

Stop tiptoeing around race, slavery, racial injustice, racial bias, systemic racism, white supremacy, nationalism, anti-Blackness or racial equity. It’s real. We’ve studied and debated it long enough. Act. End of discussion.

Vote for an agenda at the local, state and federal levels that prioritizes Black lives and demolishes the insidious pillars of white supremacy in every form. For those whose electoral existence is predicated upon the domination of Black lives, we must dominate the ballot box. If you are registered to vote and someone you know is not, help them register. Vote. Vote. Vote.

Related: George Floyd funeral: crowds gather at Houston church to pay tribute

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Hong Kong riot police descend on protesters marking movement anniversary – video

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Several demonstrators were arrested when thousands defied a police order and took to the streets of Hong Kong to mark a year of the ‘million-person march’ against an extradition bill in June 2019. Dozens of riot police descended on the crowds gathered in the city's business district

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Top editors resign amid accusations of racist ‘toxic culture’ at US publications

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Calls for editors to be more accountable for their actions as editors from the New York Times, Bon Appétit, Refinery29 and the Philadelphia Inquirer resign

Top editors from Refinery29, the New York Times, Bon Appétit and the Philadelphia Inquirer resigned this week amid a wave of journalists calling out their own organisation’s “toxic culture”, racist headlines, pay disparities and in one case, unearthing an image of an editor dressed in brown-face.

Since footage showed former police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, a show of solidarity and protests have erupted across the world. As part of that movement, so too have come the calls for editors to be more accountable for their actions.

I do not know why Adam Rapoport simply doesn’t write about Puerto Rican food for @bonappetit himself!!! https://t.co/rW0k5tjMoS pic.twitter.com/odZnFLz2gd

One of my former colleagues who’s biracial DMed me to tell me how working at Refinery29 literally ruined his life. Getting “can I say the n word?” asked to him by his own direct boss, then blackballed. pic.twitter.com/oZa0RsSN0p

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End the glorification of historic criminals like Colston and Clive | Letters

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Readers respond to the protest in which a statue of the Bristol slave trader Edward Colston was torn down

On my way to Parliament Square for Saturday’s Black Lives Matter protest, I – for the first time – noticed the statue of Robert Clive in its place of honour near the Churchill War Rooms, a stone’s throw from 10 Downing Street and seemingly equidistant from Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster. One would imagine such a location ought to be dedicated to those who best exemplify British values.

On Sunday, as I watched protesters in Bristol dump the statue of Edward Colston into the harbour (Report, 7 June), the action an echo of the countless captive men and women whom Colston’s crews mercilessly threw overboard, I thought of Clive.

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‘Call it out!’: global voices from George Floyd protests – video

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Floyd’s death in Minneapolis has been the trigger for a global wave of activism against prejudice and police brutality that has spread to more than 50 countries, becoming a mirror for racism and inequality in societies around the world. In Australia and Papua people protested for indigenous rights, as people took up the cry against injustices in New Zealand, Ghana, France, Germany and the UK

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Protesters rally in Oxford for removal of Cecil Rhodes statue

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University campaigners and Black Lives Matter protesters block road outside Oriel College

More than a thousand protesters have gathered outside Oxford University to demand the removal of a statue of the Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes.

Blocking the road outside Oriel College, the Rhodes Must Fall campaign said that Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests across the UK, which included the dramatic toppling of a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, had reignited their campaign.

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Trump makes baseless claim about man, 75, shoved by police: ‘Could be a set-up?’

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  • Martin Gugino in hospital after being pushed over by police
  • Trump tweets peace activist could be ‘antifa provocateur’

Donald Trump has claimed a 75-year-old man who was hospitalized when police shoved him to the ground at a protest in Buffalo could be “an antifa provocateur” and suggested the incident “could be a set-up”.

Related: George Floyd: Trump claims Buffalo man pushed by police was 'Antifa provocateur' – live

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These anti-racism protests show it's time for Britain to grapple with its difficult history | Olivette Otele

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The task now is to translate this despair and rage into commitment to work together towards racial equality

We have spent more than a week experiencing turmoil, violence and soul searching following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Anti-racist groups mobilised people to support the Black Lives Matter movement across the US, and the rest of the world. In Britain, weekend protests culminated in Bristol with a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston being knocked from its plinth and thrown into the nearby harbour.

Related: The toppling of Edward Colston's statue is not an attack on history. It is history | David Olusoga

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George Floyd killing triggers wave of activism around the world

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Protests have spread to UK, France, Israel, Australia, south-east Asia and parts of Africa

lHis face is on murals in Belfast, on a shard of the Berlin Wall and on a blown-out building in Idlib. “I can’t breathe,” some of the last words George Floyd uttered as he was killed, are painted across a wall in Montreal. A slaver’s statue in Bristol has been uprooted. Statues of a colonial king have been burned and defaced across Belgium. In the Netherlands, the prime minister says a blackface Christmas ritual must end.

Floyd’s death in Minneapolis more than a fortnight ago has been the trigger for a wave of activism that has spread to more than 50 countries. The nine-minute video of his killing by police has become a mirror for racism and inequality in societies around the world.

Related: What the George Floyd protests have achieved in just two weeks

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'What does the UN stand for?': anger as staff told not to join anti-racism protests

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Special rapporteur leads backlash after warning that support for action on George Floyd killing risks reputational damage

The UN has told employees that as “international civil servants” they must not participate in public demonstrations protesting against the police killing of George Floyd, attracting criticism from the UN’s own special rapporteur on rights to freedom of assembly.

In an internal memo, first reported in Foreign Policy, and circulated by the UN ethics board late last week, staff in the world body’s secretariat were warned that public support for protests against Floyd’s killing risked the UN’s reputation for impartiality and could bring it into “substantial disrepute”.

Related: Coronavirus pandemic is becoming a human rights crisis, UN warns

THREAD 1/ I’m hearing that @UN is telling staff that participation in protests “in the current circumstances may not be consistent with the independence and impartiality required of us as international civil servants.”

What exactly does the @UN stand for then? #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/w7B2mYTakF

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George Floyd to be laid to rest in Houston funeral as world watches

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The family of George Floyd is preparing to lay his body to rest in his home town of Houston following weeks of protest over his killing by police in Minneapolis and a public viewing attended by thousands who waited for hours in the hot sun the day before.

Since he was killed on the Memorial Day holiday, 25 May, millions around the world have watched the viral video of Floyd’s death, taken by a bystander, and listened to the 46-year-old’s desperate pleas of “I can’t breathe” to the officer restraining him on the ground.

THIS IS WHO WE FIGHT FOR: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Pamela Turner, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Terence Crutcher, Alton Sterling, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Emmett Till, MLK, and so many others... We must never forget them. pic.twitter.com/EIm5ERsbtp

Related: 'I can't breathe': why George Floyd's words reverberate around the world | Ben Okri

Pictured after meeting with the family of #GeorgejoFloyd & @joebiden. Congressman Cedric Richmond, presidential candidate Joe Biden, Attorney Ben Crump and Roger Floyd, George Floyd’s uncle. pic.twitter.com/IksRq9RHIb

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UK Black Lives Matter protests live: Oxford demo to target Rhodes statue

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Live coverage and reaction from around the UK as Oxford demonstration against Cecil Rhodes statue expected this evening

12.05pm BST

A number of NHS trusts, which are responsible for hospitals and GPs’ practices, are holding a minute’s silence at midday in solidarity against racism:

In partnership with a number of Trusts nationwide, we will be holding a minute’s silence at 12noon today to call for a moment of solidarity against racism and to acknowledge the significant impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities. We invite you to join in this one-minute silence

I am standing with @uhbtrust at 12:00 noon to mark the funeral of George Floyd - USA. Companies across the UK will hold a minute’s silence. We also stand against racism & will remember all the victims of Covid-19, which has disproportionately affected the BAME community. @alrikka pic.twitter.com/zZUPksCERX

Led by our internal BME network, today we invited all our colleagues to observe a minute’s silence in remembrance of George Floyd and to show our ongoing commitment to tackling race inequalities and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

11.55am BST

It turns out the justice questions in the Commons didn’t touch on the Black Lives Matter protests.

David Lammy, the shadow justice secretary, pressed the justice minister Lucy Frazer on the issue of children in young offender institutions across the UK.

11.29am BST

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, says George Floyd’s death must be a “catalyst for change” and that his party stands with those opposing racism and oppression.

Today, at 11am, Parliament held a minute's silence in memory of George Floyd.

He must not become just another name. His death must be a catalyst for change.

The Labour Party stands with those opposing racism and oppression in the UK and across the world.

Wealth and power has been built on the exploitation of black people. In marking the life of George Floyd, we have to understand there can be no going back, no hiding, no excuses. Today we don't just say #BlackLivesMatter, we make sure that they matter. https://t.co/g8IkHHXYdF

11.28am BST

The justice secretary, Robert Buckland, will soon be taking questions in the House of Commons. He’s likely to repeat the stance set out yesterday by the home secretary, Priti Patel, vowing that a minority of protesters would “face justice” for their “thuggery”.

As Jack Blanchard pointed out in today’s Politico London Playbook, Buckland’s opposite number, the shadow justice secretary, David Lammy, is one of parliament’s most powerful voices on race issues so today’s hearing should be worth watching.

11.14am BST

Parliament has just held a minute’s silence in memory of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota triggered a wave of demonstrations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Four Commons select committees were sitting at 11am when they all fell silent.

Racism has no place in UK Parliament: we believe black lives matter.

Our parliamentary community stands with black friends and colleagues here and worldwide.

Both Speakers have confirmed that UK Parliament will hold a minute's silence at 11am in memory of George Floyd's death.

At 11am I will be taking part in a minute's silence in memory of George Floyd, standing in solidarity with his family and victims of racism worldwide. We all can and must do more to end racial discrimination and inequality around us #blacklivesmatter

At 11am there will be a minute's silence in Parliament to remember George Floyd.

This is a chance to remember him & all the victims of police brutality and racism. #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/qSrfJmVBJS

At 11am I will be taking part in a minute's silence in memory of George Floyd, standing in solidarity with his family and victims of racism worldwide. We can and must do more to end racial oppression and social injustice.

11.02am BST

Hello. This is Josh Halliday taking over from Martin. Stay with us for all the day’s developments on the UK Black Lives Matter protests. And feel free to get in touch with tips or suggestions. I’m on:

Twitter: @JoshHalliday (DMs open)

10.57am BST

The last time Oriel College was under pressure to remove the Cecil Rhodes statue, they sought the opinions of former students. Some of those former students are now very much rallying around the idea that the statue must go.

A form is being circulated online for alumni to add their names to an open letter. Appealing for leaders at the college to think of the long-term impact on the institution, in part it reads:

We would be ashamed and embarrassed to be associated with a college that let the statue of Cecil Rhodes remain standing on its grounds. The Oriel students and alumni campaigning for the removal of the statue back in 2016 and today are the donors of tomorrow. The momentum is well and truly behind removing the statue. Every year it is still there, more and more alumni will think twice about making a donation; more and more students will refuse to be associated with an institution that is so out-of-step with their own beliefs.

Oriel can, and should be, a pioneer in healing the scars of Imperialism, and beginning the process of reconciliation this country so obviously needs. Oriel’s future depends on what you do next. We urge you to be on the right side of history this time.

10.30am BST

One common refrain you will have heard from politicians after the toppling of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol is that those who object to monuments that glorify colonial figures should use proper democratic channels to achieve change, rather than direct action.

Protesters in Bristol, however, will tell you that they had been trying to use the proper channels for years, without success.

Most of the controversy generated by the movement has revolved around the figure of Cecil Rhodes – but Rhodes himself is not really central to its aims. What is at issue is an ethos that gives space and even preeminence to such a figure, and hesitates to interrogate Rhodes’s legacy. That legacy does not merely include Rhodes’s financial bequests and their educational offshoots, like the Rhodes scholarships, but the vision embodied in his will, which called for: “the establishment, promotion and development of a Secret Society, the true aim and object whereof shall be for the extension of British rule throughout the world, the perfecting of a system of emigration from the United Kingdom, and of colonisation by British subjects of all lands where the means of livelihood are attainable by energy, labour and enterprise.

Related: The real meaning of Rhodes Must Fall | Amit Chaudhuri

10.19am BST

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu was on Good Morning Britain this morning – put up against Nigel Farage to talk about racism and statues. She is definitely not mincing her words here in this tweet. It’s worth watching the segment as well.

Nigel Farage embodies everything that is institutionally racist about the United Kingdom. He lives in the wrong era and century. He should be relegated to the shameful past of British history and stay there. #GMB #BlackLivesMatter #EdwardColston #StatuesMustFall https://t.co/8YIvd96gbi

10.12am BST

Another former student at Oriel has just posted on social media in support of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign. Doug Buist, who is chair of the Lambeth Liberal Democrats and who works at The Globe theatre, has publish a letter he has written to the provost of Oriel college. He says that he “didn’t speak out a few years back when asked and this was wrong”.

I've written today to the Provost of Oriel College, of which I am an alumnus, to ask that the Rhodes statue is removed. I didn't speak out a few years back when asked and this was wrong. I assumed I lacked influence. #RhodesMustFall pic.twitter.com/gCXnvkVBw0

A few years ago, the college wrote to alumni of Oriel to ask our thoughts on the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes. At the time, I did not take the opportunity to offer an opinion. I understood the arguments, it certainly seems anachronous, and while the thoughts of its removal in no way concerned me, I simply considered it someone else’s decision to make. On reflection I think this attitude was probably a fault and an act of complicity in allowing the damage of Rhodes’ actions during his lifetime, and the century of their legacy to go unchallenged. I believe now is the time to remove the statue from the college and that is it is in all our interest that is done proactively and peacefully. Statues in situ do not teach us about history; their intent is to memorialise or magnify the reputations of those we admire. We cannot continue to glorify the acts or name of men like Rhodes.

9.57am BST

In London, Sadiq Khan is launching a review of statues with links to slavery. The mayor said that the city’s landmarks – including street names, the names of public buildings and plaques – will be reviewed by a commission.

Khan said: “It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and city owes a large part of its wealth to its role in the slave trade and while this is reflected in our public realm, the contribution of many of our communities to life in our capital has been wilfully ignored. This cannot continue …

Related: Sadiq Khan orders review of all London statues for slavery links

9.48am BST

Also doing the media rounds this morning was former chief superintendent Dal Babu, who was appearing on Sky News and was highly critical of the home secretary. Priti Patel has suggested that police should have acted more firmly on Sunday when the statue of Edward Colston was being pulled down. “I think it’s very, very dangerous when politicians get involved and become armchair police officers,” he said.

"With all due respect, she's not a police officer."

Former MET Police Chief Superintendent Dal Babu disagrees with the Home Secretary that officers should have stepped in to stop protesters toppling a statue of #EdwardColston. MR#KayBurley #BlackLivesMatter #Colston pic.twitter.com/G1lGnTEgfq

There is a real skill in being able to determine what to do in a disorder situation. You have to make decisions very, very quickly. You have to think about the protection of police officers, you have to think about the general welfare of the crowd. So these are complex decisions. You have to make them within the law, and you have to use the resources that you have. Police officers invariably will be outnumbered by demonstrators, so you just end up with a huge amount of injuries to police officers, and disorder, and perhaps not even achieving your goal.

To arrest suspects would likely lead to injuries to suspects, injuries to officers, and people who were not involved in damaging property being thrown into a very violent confrontation with the police. Can you imagine scenes of police in Bristol fighting with protesters who were damaging the statue of a man who is reputed to have gathered much of his fortune through the slave trade?

9.41am BST

Former students of Oxford University have been campaigning for some time over the Cecil Rhodes statue. This week they have been urged to sign an open letter calling for the university to tackle systemic racism.

I was disappointed in the response to #Rhodesmustfall during my time at @UniofOxford. But it’s only part of the picture. There is opportunity to do more. I encourage Alumni to consider signing this Open Letter: Oxford University Must Tackle Systemic Racism https://t.co/GbmCi3NTp2

Despite multiple campaigns — including Rhodes Must Fall Oxford and Common Ground Oxford, and the tireless work of the Oxford African and Caribbean Society and Oxford Africa Society — the university has failed to address its institutional racism, its systemic racism across colleges, and the impact this has on the student body and city.

Come on, @orieloxford. I‘m an #orielensis and a historian, and I abhor the decision (including the votes of my fellow @orielalumni) to keep Rhodes as the High Street face of the College. Take him down. #RhodesMustFall

9.19am BST

Bristol city council has said it will act quickly to retrieve the statue of Edward Colston from the harbour.

The deputy mayor, Craig Cheney, acknowledged that if the council did not fish the statue out there was a risk someone else would take it away. “We do need to prioritise getting that out,” he said.

9.09am BST

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu was on Good Morning Britain a little while ago discussing the removal of the Edward Colston statue. She said:

Properties can be replaced, black lives can’t. And it is indefensible for those who suggest otherwise. So what we saw there is an act of resistance and the hypocrisy is palpable. Think about the fact that when Saddam Hussein’s statute was destroyed, people in this country hailed it as an act of resistance. But here you have the destruction of the statue of a slave trader condemned as lawless.

'Properties can be replaced, black lives can't.'@SholaMos1 says the toppling of Edward Colston in Bristol was 'an act of resistance' as thousands call for the removal of controversial monuments and statues around the UK.

Watch GMB on the ITV Hub https://t.co/yyUUJmzswF pic.twitter.com/c0CnpSOvcg

8.45am BST

The toppling of the Edward Colston statue has inevitably led to a national debate about whether it was right to do it, and what should be done with the statue now, what should go into the space it has left behind.

If you haven’t seen this piece by Travis Alabanza about the statue, it really is worth a read. They talk about the racism they experienced growing up in Bristol, and what it felt like to watch the statue fall:

I watched the video of Edward Colston’s statue in my hometown of Bristol being pushed into Bristol harbour around 100 times last night … It felt different each time, I think. It fluctuated between the feeling of a sparkle of hope, to the satisfaction of watching a bully getting what they deserve at the end of a movie, to a feeling of pure disbelief.

Already, there is discussion about what must replace the statue. People are thinking about the Bristol Bus Boycott and one of the founders of that movement, Dr Paul Stephenson. Others are talking about replacing it with sculptures or artworks by local young Black organisers and impact makers. But I want fellow Bristolians to pause. I want us to keep the rubble on the ground and to have to walk past it. For it to stay there, dust and all, as a reminder to the promise that was made in that action.

8.30am BST

The anti-racism protests of the last few days in the UK may have been initially sparked by an incident of police violence in the US, but they have been attempting to address a broad range of issues impacting on BAME society in the UK.

This morning we’ve got an interview with Patrick Roach, head of the teaching union NASUWT. In it he speaks about his own experience of racism at school in the 1970s, and where he thinks things are failing to be improved.

If we want to have the best teaching profession, then it has to be inclusive, and it is not. This is another one of these national scandals that has to sit squarely with the government. Clear statutory duties in respect of equality apply to schools as employers but how, since the 2010 Equalities Act, has the government sought to reinforce it in schools? It hasn’t. Successive secretaries of state have removed equality from the accountability systems, and that includes race equality.

It has been very instructive to hear from BAME members the extent to which they felt that their schools are just paying lip service to race equality. I know it is not a popular thing to say and that it is often misunderstood, but institutional racism does exist and is an issue that has clearly got to be addressed, especially in the light of the handling of the coronavirus emergency.

8.14am BST

Overnight the Rhodes Must Fall campaign has been buoyed by 26 local councillors signing a letter in support of their protest. The letter reads:

We as City Councillors support the Rhodes Must Fall campaign in its demands for the removal of the Cecil Rhodes statue from Oxford’s High Street and endorse its wider campaign to decolonise Oxford University.

Cecil Rhodes was a white supremacist who believed in brutal colonial rule and subjugation across Africa and the world.

8.01am BST

Angus Robertson, the former deputy leader of the Scottish National party, has written for the Edinburgh Evening News about the extent to which monuments and buildings in Scotland’s capital are still named after figures linked to slavery.

As with the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol, Robertson is arguing that the process of change and making public acknowledgements of the truth behind these monuments is far too slow.

Prominent Edinburgh residents associated with slavery include Henry Dundas, whose statue stands in the middle of St Andrew’s Square. The Tory MP for Midlothian was instrumental in delaying the end of slavery. Also on the square is Dundas House, now the RBS Headquarters, which was owned by his relative. The statue in front is of the 4th Earl of Hopetoun who put down a two-year slave revolution in the West Indies. The time has come to properly acknowledge the role of Dundas and others. The campaign by Edinburgh academic Sir Geoff Palmer to reword the history of Dundas is long past time for action. Monuments don’t just reflect the past, they are in pride of place in our present, in our capital city.

7.50am BST

Oxford Brookes University’s Afro-Caribbean Society has published overnight a mini-essay on Instagram on why they are campaigning for the removal of the controversial Cecil Rhodes statue from Oriel College.

The issue of whether Rhodes, and other controversial figures like him, should ‘fall’ was never about whether or not he should be remembered, it’s about him being celebrated…Imperialism and the exploitation of Africa is one of the reasons why Britain is such a successful nation, and Cecil Rhodes played a part in that. He was responsible for stealing and exploiting land in the Rhodesia region, and he exploited black workers to sustain his empire…keeping him up is just a reminder to the people of colour, especially black and African people, that they are in a space that celebrates him.

Tomorrow at 5pm a protest organised by @rhodesmustfalloxford by the Rhodes statue, High street. As you swipe across you will read a mini essay written by:@et.allaissem. #blacklivesmatter

7.36am BST

If you haven’t seen it yet, Boris Johnson recorded a video message addressed to black and ethnic minority communities in the UK. In it he said that there was a “a cold reality” that these communities faced discrimination in employment, education, and in the application of the law. “I hear you,” he said. “I understand.”

However, he then went on to condemn protesters, saying they would face the “full force of the law” for acts of violence and vandalism, and he also admonished those who had not been obeying social distancing measures while out on protests. You can watch the clip here:

7.29am BST

Good morning. Yesterday Boris Johnson was insisting that despite understanding the “depth of emotion” of those protesting, Britain was not a racist country. Thousands have been on the streets in the last few days to disagree with that assessment, and there will be more protests today.

In Oxford, between 5pm and 7pm there is an organised demonstration from the #RhodesMustFall campaign to put more pressure on Oxford University to remove a statue honouring colonialist Cecil Rhodes.

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Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray: the toll of police violence on disabled Americans

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Disabled people make up an estimated third of those killed by police but just a quarter of the US population. It’s time to listen to Black disabled activists

What do Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Tanisha Anderson, Deborah Danner, Ezell Ford, Alfred Olango and Keith Lamont Scott all have in common? They were all Black Americans who died at the hands of the police or in police custody. And they were all also disabled.  

Sandra Bland, 28, had epilepsy and depression and was found hanged in a jail cell in Texas after being arrested for an alleged lane change violation. Eric Garner, 43, had asthma, diabetes and a heart condition and died after an NYPD officer put him in a chokehold while arresting him for allegedly selling cigarettes without tax stamps. Freddie Gray, 25, had a developmental disability due to being exposed to lead at an early age and died from a severe spinal injury after police officers reportedly gave him a “rough ride” in the back of a police van. Tanisha Anderson, 37, died while having a mental health crisis and being restrained by police officers with her face down in front of her Cleveland, Ohio, home.

Related: Minneapolis pledges to dismantle its police department – how will it work?

Given the overlap between police brutality toward Black people and people with disabilities, any meaningful attempt at change must address both factors

Related: Families of Trayvon Martin and Oscar Grant on protests: 'White supremacy is on its way out'

Dominic Bradley is a Black disabled writer living and working in Brooklyn

Sarah Katz writes about disability. Her work has appeared in Business Insider, the New York Times, and Slate

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In case you missed it, Trump's former lawyer compared protesters to terrorists | Lawrence Douglas

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John Dowd’s ominous rhetoric framed peaceful protesters as insurgents and subversives. This is an unsettling development

Largely overlooked during last week’s extraordinary events was a letter written by the president’s erstwhile personal lawyer and retweeted by Trump.

As you’ll recall: last week President Trump used military personnel to forcibly clear protesters outside the White House so he could do a surreal photo op at St John’s church. Then Trump’s former secretary of defense, Gen James Mattis, published a statement in the Atlantic condemning his former commander-in-chief for abusing his authority and failing to exercise unifying, mature leadership.

Dowd’s brandishing of the term 'terrorist' represents a frightening rhetorical escalation at a perilous time

Lawrence Douglas is the James J Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence & Social Thought at Amherst College. His book Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020 has just been published by Twelve/Hachette

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New York police budget to be cut as debate rages over reforms

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Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to move some funding from police to youth services as protesters demand change

As protests following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sweep US cities on a scale not seen in decades, debate is growing over what reforms law enforcement agencies must make.

Some police departments, cities and states have announced steps to address long-criticized tactics and excessive use of force.

Related: Trump's scrapping of Obama-era reforms hinders police reform

Related: What does 'defund the police' mean? The rallying cry sweeping the US – explained

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Protesters across US attacked by cars driven into crowds and men with guns

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Protesters confronted by armed men – including members of the so-called ‘boogaloo movement’ – in different parts of America

Anti police-brutality protesters have been confronted by armed men in cities around America in recent days, with some brandishing firearms or other weapons, some driving vehicles at crowds, and others – including members of the so-called “boogaloo movement” – claiming they have come to help anti-racism demonstrations.

Related: Rightwing vigilantes on armed patrol after fake rumours of antifa threat

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Are they gone for good? The Trump supporters who regret their vote

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President’s latest decisions – deploying military forces against protesters, and the church photo op – are chipping away at his base

Donald Trump once famously boasted he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, and not lose supporters. For years that seemed true.

Related: Trump reaches for Nixon playbook after protests that have rocked America

Related: 'Trump is tearing apart America': how the world sees the US protests

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Covid-19 increase detected in some US states as restrictions wind down

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As cases states in the north-east drop, states across the south and California are seeing increases – much to experts’ concern

As the US enters the heat of summer and coronavirus restrictions start to wind down, public health experts are already noticing a concerning trend – an uptick in Covid-19 cases in parts of the country.

Related: New York cautiously starts to reopen for business after coronavirus lockdown

I feel we’ve made five steps forward and now maybe one step back

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African American film-maker is pepper-sprayed then engages protest police in conversation

The Guardian | Protest -

This is the moment the film-maker Christopher Frierson was pepper-sprayed by police while recording anti-racism protests in Brooklyn, New York. The footage shows toxic fumes hitting the camera lens; simultaneously you hear Frierson's visceral groans of pain as he stumbles and falls to the ground. Within moments he was dragged by protesters to the side of the road. The 37-year-old was unable to see for 10 minutes after the incident 

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How Hong Kong caught fire: the story of a radical uprising

The Guardian | Protest -

Hong Kong used to be seen as cautious, pragmatic and materialistic. But in the past year, an increasingly bold protest movement has transformed the city. Now, as Beijing tightens its grip, how much longer can the movement survive? By Tania Branigan and Lily Kuo

On 4 June 2020, as darkness enveloped Hong Kong, thousands of people broke through barricades and slipped into the tree-lined Victoria Park in the heart of the city. Shielding their candles from the wind, and carefully sitting 1 metre apart, they filled the length of the open space. The annual Tiananmen Square vigil had been banned, with police citing coronavirus concerns. But Hong Kong was determined to mark the anniversary as it always has. For three decades, the city has been the only place within China where the massacre can be publicly remembered. The commemoration is by far the world’s largest, but also its most vulnerable. Its tiny flames speak to the endurance of hope and memory, and to their looming extinction.

When the People’s Liberation Army massacred hundreds of demonstrators in Beijing on 4 June 1989, the response in Hong Kong was overwhelming. One million or more residents marched in mourning. People from across society – clergymen, activists, Cantopop stars, businesspeople, foreign diplomats, even triad gangs – worked together to smuggle “most wanted” student leaders off the mainland and to safety.

Related: China’s memory manipulators

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