Column for Stroud News and Journal

The Black Lives Matter movement spread has across the globe, but there are still many standing in the way of progress by denying that racism exists.

If you've never walked in another person's shoes, why do you presume to be an expert on their experience? If you've never felt persecution, why do you presume to be an expert on what it would look like and how those affected should feel?

I know it's not nice to hear 'whiteness' being described as something that needs fixing. So when somebody speaks of ‘white privilege', you defend yourself and deflect the argument.

You ask “How am I privileged when I’ve struggled in life?” ignoring that white privilege doesn’t mean you won’t have struggles, only that your skin colour won’t be the reason for it.
You ask: "What about Lee Rigby?" who was a white man killed by two black men, ignoring the fact Michael Adebowale and Michael Adebolajo were jailed for 45 years and life respectively. Nobody condoned the killing and justice was done.
You shout "All Lives Matter" but want to close our borders to refugees and immigrants while mocking the LGBTQ community and disabled people. It’s funny how many of the ‘All Lives Matter’ crowd are also refusing to wear a mask in a pandemic that is designed to protect other people…

You say "I don’t see colour" but in the same breath claim that black people “always play the race card” and “have a chip on their shoulder”. 
You claim "UK police don't kill black people like in the US" ignoring Derek Bennett, Azelle Rodney, Sean Rigg, Olaseni Lewis, Kingsley Burrell, Mark Duggan, Jermaine Baker and Dalian Atkinson among others.
You claim you're "against people erasing history by removing statues" as if you need a statue of Adolf Hitler to understand the Holocaust... History is written in books.

You say “slave-owners did some good things too”. Well, Hitler improved Germany’s economy, Benito Mussolini reduced Italy’s unemployment and Joseph Stalin boosted women's employment in the Soviet Union and Colonel Gaddafi introduced free healthcare in Libya. Shall we immortalise them in wood, metal or stone?

You claim "Winston Churchill was a hero" when the same man made no secret of being a white supremacist that wanted Indian genocide. He advocated for the gassing of Iraqis and blamed Jews for their persecution. Those complaining about their history being erased don’t seem to know any…

If you’re silent about racist but loud when criticising the movement dedicated to fighting it, you’re complicit. 

Thanks for reading.