British establishment in desperate bid to co-opt anti-racism protests
As anti-racism protests continue apace across Britain, leading government figures have tried to contain the movement through sympathy and promises of gradual change.
The trend was set by hardline Home Secretary, Priti Patel, in Parliament two days ago where she proclaimed she would not "take lectures" from the opposition because of her personal experience of racism.
Before using her alleged personal experience to silence the opposition, Patel had proposed introducing a new law to make it easier to prosecute protesters who damage war memorials.
The Home Secretary was reacting after more than 200 anti-racism protests took place across Britain over the weekend, reportedly attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
Protesters have regularly attacked symbols of British colonialism and racism, most notably the toppling of the statue of 17th century slave trader, Edward Colston, in Bristol.
Protesters have also attacked and vandalized war memorials across the country including the statue of notorious wartime leader, Winston Churchill, who the protesters regard as a symbol of British colonialism, racism and aggression.
Following Patel’s lead, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak has tried to weaponize his own personal experience of racism to try to arrest the momentum of the protesters.
Speaking to Sky News earlier today, Sunak says racism “stings in a way that very few things have”.
Trying to downplay the robust action taken by protesters in recent days, Sunak proclaimed that “change doesn’t come about through acts of vandalism or violence”.
Sunak’s emphasis on “real and long-lasting” change risks falling on deaf ears as minorities in the UK have had to endure decades of relentless institutional and street-level racism.
The intervention by leading government ministers of foreign ancestry notwithstanding, anti-racism protests show no sign of abating thus making the establishment fearful of potential political instability.
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