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Online rally against racism
By MARIANNA OWEN
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Community groups within Liverpool have come together in an online rally against racism in order to mobilise forthcoming protests across the region.
United Nations Anti-Racism day is due to take place on March 20 and groups in the city are adamant that protests will still go ahead – coronavirus or not.
Chantelle Lunt, founder of Merseyside BLM Alliance, said: “In a few short months we will be a year since the death of George Floyd. This year will also mark 40 years since the L8 uprisings and it will also mark ten years since the police shot Mark Duggan dead on the street.
“In policing we are still seeing the black community being disproportionately targeted by the police, and subjected to disproportionate levels of force, as well as being failed as victims of crimes.
“In terms of health, the black community has had a large number of members in our community die from Covid-19. And we have had reports showing that black women are five times more likely to die in childbirth. There is no medical reason that this can be pinpointed to other than unconscious bias within the health service.”
Kim Johnson, the first black MP for Liverpool, said: “While I am very proud and I am very privileged to represent Liverpool Riverside, it is also a very sad indictment. We have a very large black community and it’s taken a very long time for someone like me to be elected.
“I believe we are in a worse place now than we were in the seventies. As Angela Davies said ‘It’s not enough now to not be racist, we must also be anti-racist’.”
As the city prepared for the mayoral elections in May, it was announced that the three candidates set to replace Joe Anderson had been scrapped.
The national Labour Party rejected the agreed shortlist of Anna Rothery, Wendy Simon and Ann O’Bryne, and has told the three councillors not to enter again.
This action sparked accusations of sexism and racism in the Labour Party, which were discussed at the online rally.
MP Kim Johnson continued “I can’t be in this meeting and not mention the s***-show that was the mayoral election, the way those three women were treated would never had happened if it was three men.
However, she added: “As a black politician I don’t believe the allegations of racism is an issue and the reason for pulling the three members. What we need to do in the city as a Labour Party is to be far more united.”
Anna Rothery said: “In 2006 I was the only black councillor in the whole of the city council for the first six years of my tenure … it wasn’t an easy ride and it was probably one of the loneliest periods of my life, but it didn’t stop me fighting for things to be right.
“I’m not happy about the outcome of the mayoral election process, in fact that’s quite mild, I’m very disappointed, but I can’t discuss that at this point as my lawyers are actually speaking to the Labour Party. But one thing I would just like to place on record is that at no point whatsoever have I ever raised the issue about racism in terms of the process.”
Campaigners from Stand Up To Racism – Liverpool are still planning on holding physical protests this month, emphasising that these will be held in a Covid-safe manner and are needed to send a message.
In agreement with the protests, Chantelle Lunt said: “We are not going to be defined by the city that was built on racism, we are going to be defined as the city that stands up, stands together, a city where we are all equal, and all equally safe.”
Photo © unsplash
Photo © unsplash Photo © unsplash
