This is something that I have believed for a long time, in fact, we are talking for around thirty years, but who was I at that time to say such a thing? A nobody really, just one of those people that liked to give their opinion on anything without doing any real research, this is something that I recognised about myself from fifteen years ago, give or take a year or two either way, so decided to ensure I do at least some basic research on any topic that may have an effect on me and/or members of my African and Caribbean community
So what is the latest topic that everyone is talking about at this time, well a few months ago it was the death of George Floyd and the murderous way it happened, and also the Black lives matter campaign, which was a very powerful and dramatic situation at the time that affected a lot of people, the discussion around all of that didn't last for very long after the police-involved were arrested and sentenced. In fact, the Guardian newspaper went on to publish a piece that said:
The wheels of the Black Lives Matter movement are already starting to get stuck in the mire of doubt and suspicion. A few short weeks ago, politicians were eager to be photographed taking the knee in solidarity with the movement; now they’re desperate to distance themselves from what the movement demands – such as moving funds away from policing and into mental health services and youth work to prevent crime occurring in the first place. After a respectful period during which it would have been tone-deaf to object to public support of the cause of the day, the BBC banned its hosts and presenters from wearing Black Lives Matter badges because it is seen as an expression of some sort of “political” opinion.
Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement
The question I started to ask myself only a couple of weeks after the conviction of the policemen who were involved, as does Black Lives Matter campaign really Matter to this government because we quickly moved on to the Windrush Scandal, where many people who had come to this country after a request from the British government for people from the Caribbean to come here and help rebuild it because of the destruction caused by the 2nd world war. This left me thinking that they no longer want the Black Caribbeans here, as we have done what they wanted us to do, and we are now seen as surplus to their requirements, please remember this was only a thought at the time, but it quickly became a belief.
You may ask why I started to believe this, well I could probably go on for hours outlining many different situations and instances, but I will keep it brief for now, One of the first things was the treatment of the members of the Windrush generation, here is an example of just one person was just 45 years old and had been detained in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre twice, he has no right to work, no right to the NHS and no right to benefits. He is just one of the thousands who came to this country as part of the Windrush generation and, like many others, he is still suffering.”
There were also Priti Patel's comments where she used a newspaper interview to hit out at more than 80 black public figures who called for the cancellation of a deportation flight to Jamaica of several convicted criminals. The coverage included quotes from Home Office sources criticising lawyers acting on behalf of people targeted for deportation, Ok some of them may have been criminals but they have done their time in prison, which hopefully means they have learnt their lesson, I personally believe they should have been given a warning after their release from prison stating that if they get in any further trouble then they will be deported, but that is not currently the case, and on top of that Patel has said she does not support England football players taking the knee in protest of racism and that fans have the right to boo them at matches, is this someone that cares whether or not Black Lives Matter when taking the knee only means you believe in equal treatment for all, personally I don't think so.
Home secretary tells Daily Mail those trying to stop deportation flight to Jamaica are ‘do-gooding celebrities’
This is only a snippet of the reasons why I think this Government does not believe that Black Lives Matter, I believe that members of the Black Community should change their mindset in order to deal with what I think is hidden racism. The African and Caribbean community needs to campaign for more than just compensation, I think they need to strive for the removal of people like Patel and call for an apology for all the injustices that have been made against members of the community.
