4 June 2020
UK Government complicit in racist violence, say Norwich councillors
Green Party councillors in Norwich have called on the UK Government to immediately end all sales of tear gas, riot shields and rubber bullets to the USA over fears that they are being used to violently suppress anti-racism protests.[1]
The USA has seen a week of turmoil and protest following the killing of several black men and a woman by police, sparking an international response in the UK too. An online protest is planned for Norwich on Sunday 7 June [2] and there have been large-scale demonstrations in London.
Yet the Greens highlight that the UK Government has failed to condemn the controversial actions and words of President Donald Trump, who has been accused of inciting and facilitating violence against the Black Lives Matter protestors.
Writing to the Prime Minister, Green Party councillors also argue that the UK still needs to do far more to tackle racial inequalities. They point to a recent report by Public Health England that shows Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people are twice as likely to die of coronavirus compared to white people.[3] Greens say this is in part due to inequality in access to decent housing and a disproportionate number of BAME people working in high-risk key worker jobs like healthcare and transport, but the Government has failed to address this.
Green Party Councillor Nannette Youssef said, “People in Norwich are horrified by what is happening in America, and we need to demonstrate strongly that violence and discrimination against people of another colour or nationality is unacceptable.
“At the same time as police are killing black protestors, black and brown people in the UK are being forced onto the frontline of coronavirus by our Government without protection. Yet our Government has failed to respond to the deaths at home as well as abroad. We cannot be complicit in being silent.”
Further information from
Councillor Nannette Youssef 07729 834779 n.youssef@cllr.norwich.gov.uk
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