British Politician Priti Patel Calls 2020 BLM Protests 'Dreadful'

Priti Patel: UK Home Secretary Priti Patel described the Black Lives Matter protests in the United Kingdom last year as 'dreadful' and told that she did not agree with the gesture of 'taking the knee' in a radio interview on Friday morning.

Appearing on LBC's Call the Cabinet with Nick Ferrari today, she called last summer's BLM protests 'quite a moment' that put police officers under a great deal of pressure and said that she did not support the 'dreadful' demonstrations that took place.

However, she clarified that she was not criticising the right to protest, but rather the 'dreadful' and violent action last year. "There are other ways in which people can express their opinions, protesting in the way that people did last summer was not the right way at all," she explained. She further added, "We saw statues being brought down and some councils making, quite frankly, a stance around statues and street names. There are other ways in which those discussions can take place and, also, quite frankly I didn't support that attempt to re-write history. I felt that that was wrong."

Furthermore, when she was asked if she agrees with the gesture of 'taking the knee', she replied, "No I wouldn't, and I would not have done at the time either."

Take the knee

Bending the knee is considered an iconic symbol of power and has been a gesture against racial oppression. To take a knee is a sign of protest against the discrimination and unfair treatment of Black Americans, but has now become a worldwide symbol of fighting racism.

It all started with an NFL player Colin Kaepernick sat on the bench when the US anthem was played on August 26, 2016. Since then, it gained widespread attention in American football, as some players would go down on one knee during the national anthem before the game began. The gesture is now performed by people across the globe as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

BLM protests in UK

The Black Lives Matter protests were reignited around the world in May 2020 after George Floyd, a 46-year old African-American was killed by police officers as one of them knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds in USA while under arrest on May 25.

His death led to demonstrations and riots worldwide in support of the BLM protests against racism and police brutality. Although many demonstrations were peaceful, some turned violent as demonstrators clashed with the police.

Credits: Daily Mail

In Bristol, anti-racism protesters toppled a statue of a politician and slave trader Edward Colston at the height of the movement in June. In fact, a number of statues of historical figures associated with slavery were pulled down - and one of Winston Churchill outside Parliament was defaced with graffiti, accusing him of racism.

Credits: Daily Mail

In London, the police clashed with protesters on June 6, with missiles allegedly thrown at officers as they mounted a charge down Whitehall. Dozens of arrests were made across the country in the protests.

Priti Patel's criticism on BLM

This is not the first time the UK Home Secretary has criticised the BLM protests.

In Conservative Party conference in October last year, Priti Patel told, "This government will always defend the right to protest. That right is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, but the hooliganism and thuggery we have seen is not. It is indefensible."

"There is no excuse for pelting flares at brave police officers. There is no excuse for throwing bikes at police horses. There is no excuse for disrespecting the Cenotaph or vandalising the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest protectors of our freedoms who has ever lived," she added.

Moreover, she had earlier issued a statement back in June 2020 on the lines of what she spoke in the conference later in October.