Black Lives Matter unveils Westminster billboard to highlight ‘scale of racism’ in UK
Black Lives Matter has unveiled a huge billboard in central London in an attempt to “expose the scale of UK racism”.
Activists from the group’s UK operation joined anti-racism campaigners this afternoon to erect the poster on 91 Westminster Bridge Road.
The billboard, which reads “I can’t breath”, echoes the last words of George Floyd, an unarmed black man whose killing by a US police officer has sparked worldwide protests.
The letters are made up of the names of more than 3,000 people who have either died in police custody or as a result of racist violence in the UK.
A spokesperson said: “This billboard is a tragic reminder of the violence and neglect caused by state violence — but the communities affected are saying no.”
“We will say the names of those we have lost, but make demands for change to ensure they did not die in vain.”
The billboard also featured names of people from minority ethnic backgrounds who have died from coronavirus, including Victoria Station worker Belly Mujinga.
It comes as Branches of the Black Lives Matter group have attempted to distance themselves from protests in recent weeks, choosing instead to commemorate those lost to racist violence.
BLM UK, the movement’s British arm, last week tweeted that it is “currently not calling protests due to the life-threatening reality of the pandemic”.
Black Lives Matters protests planned for the weekend were called off by official organisers today amid fears they could descend into violence.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said plans for peaceful protest had been “hijacked” by right-wing extremists, and urged the public not to take part.