Thousands in the UK protest against Floyd murder. As a Brit, now in USA, I have two observations.

[Doodley]

Thousands of people have gathered across central London to protest against the killing of an unarmed black man by police in the US.

They held up signs saying "Justice for George Floyd", who died in police custody while an officer kneeled on his neck to pin him down.

Police arrested five people aged between 17 and 25 outside the US Embassy.

Three of the arrests were for breaching Covid-19 legislation and two were for assaulting police.


https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-52868465

As a British ex-pat, now American, I am shocked at what has happened to both the UK and USA. Two leaders who look like Putin is pulling their strings, who are intent on destruction and division (although Trump is in a different league) and have been the worst possible leaders to have during a crisis. This is the context of my observations.


1/ I have never seen anything like this in my life, as far as protests involving America. Yes, there have been demonstrations in the UK about War in Vietnam, Iraq, and most recently about Trump, but this is extraordinary - protests in the UK about discrimination in America.

Although I don't doubt the sincerity of genuine protesters, and am grateful the solidarity for the black lives movement, considering that Boris Johnson looks like another Putin puppet, I ask if Russia was involved in urging people to attend the protests on social media.



2/ Please refer to the pictures in the article. I have been told by friends and family how the UK doesn't have official guidance about wearing masks. This confirms it, and the photos show that although many protesters have educated themselves to wear masks, the police set a poor example.

Some of the photos show a barrier of police officers, standing shoulder to shoulder. Not one police officer wears a mask, although they are arresting people for not social distancing - this is pathetic. It is easy to see why the UK has been so badly hit by the virus and has the second worst death toll in the world, second only to America.

[still_one]

1. As bad as Johnson is, IMHO he doesn't come close to what we have in the white house

[Doodley]

2. I agree Boris isn't driven by grievances, but look at a no-deal Brexit and the lie and

scaremongering the Brits were told. Look at his handling of the Coronavirus. The death toll in UK is 188,000 if adjusted for US population. That is down to him. He has done more damage to the UK than any leader in recent history.

[still_one]

4. I know

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Yes, practically no one is wearing masks in the UK

They have been "advised" for situations where you can't "social distance", such as "in some shops" (but, therefore, not all) or on public transport; a couple of days ago in the supermarket, I think I was the only one wearing one.

[OnlinePoker]

5. Same here in BC

Maybe 10% of us are still wearing masks. I guess the news that we only have single digit new cases daily in the province has everybody letting their guards down.