THE Black Lives Matter Warrington march and Warrington Cenotaph Protection group rally both passed peacefully.
Around 200 supporters of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement organised a peaceful demonstration in Warrington on Saturday at the town hall with speakers sharing their life experiences of prejudice and racism, culminating with a walk through the town centre. The whole event passed off without incident.
Meanwhile a similar number of the Protect Warrington Cenotaph group rallied at the town’s cenotaph, with out incident
The second BLM protest in Warrington followed the recent killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota.
BLM was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. “By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.”
Organisers of the protest had called for a peaceful march and that social distancing was to be observed which was evident as around 200 people sat apart on the Town Hall lawn in separate family groups. Initially the procession was to take a much larger route around Warrington but when it was discovered an event had been organised at the Cenotaph, BLM changed their planned route in order to avoid any chance of confrontation ruining what was planned as a day of peaceful protest.
Speaking on behalf of BLM Tomei Swan said: ” BLM Warrington is pleased to announce that we have successfully completed our second protest and march. We couldn’t have been more pleased with the turnout today. Our members as well as the public were able to share their personal stories of racism that occurred in Warrington. However, the love and support that we received from the community of Warrington has over-exceeded our expectations. We safely marched through town, making sure to keep our masks on while social distancing as much as we could. This included sitting on the lawn while presentations were happening. We also provided hand-gel, masks, bottles of water as well as a sweet snack to those in need. BLM Warrington is pleased to also announce that no trash was left on site; we left the lawn exactly how we found it. We can expect that our supporters will use what they learned today and put it to good use. This is not the time to turn a blind eye. This movement has gained momentum, and we are proud to keep it going. We want to say a huge thank you to all that came out to support and we look forward to meeting with you again at the next event.”
Fellow organiser Selina Edghill DaCouna added ” As a young black woman in Warrington who’s experienced racism, it was amazing to see the turn out at the BLM Warrington second protest. I, along side the other organisers, took time to make sure everything was planned properly. I’d like to thank those who attended and made their voices be heard. I’d also like to thank the police who we were with. We as a community will continue to work hard to get the change we want and deserve.”
Warrington Borough Councillor Amanda King sent her support saying ” To our neighbours and friends, I cannot be with you today but wanted you to know that I support Black Lives Matter and the campaign to unveil the racism that exists, so we may build a better world of equality and fairness; this is something we can all support.”
Meanwhile the Protect Warrington cenotaph group rally was described as a “peaceful and perfect day, with a great turnout” by one of those taking part Julie Francis, a local resident, who has worked tirelessly over the years to ensure the cenotaph is looked after properly.
She added “The police were fantastic and there was no trouble at al. The Cenotaph was left spotless and bin bags were supplied to ensure all litter was picked up.”
She thanked fellow local resident Terry Webb for setting up the group to ensure the Cenotaph was protected.
2 Comments
Was a threat made against the Cenotaph? It doesn’t glorify any slave owners.
No Threats!!!!
I know BLM would love to have stood their and took pictures with them as people of all race died for this beautiful country.
They don’t understand racism
They don’t understand slavery
They don’t understand BLMWarrington at all.
A simple conversation as adults would have cleared this all up. Instead the ASSumed something ran with it and made it real to themselves.
Sad times we live in and raise children in.