Hertsmere Labour Party Hertsmere Constituency Labour Party & Hertsmere Borough Council Labour & Co-operative Group
Following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Hertsmere Labour are standing with his friends, family, and all the communities that call for fairness, equality and safety of black people from persecution – including those protesting in Hyde Park.
We recognise that George Floyd’s tragic death is not an isolated incident, but the latest in a long line of tragedies on the African American community through discriminatory state violence. And what is happening in America right now transcends borders. There will be many black members of our own community feeling anger, fear and numbness as they watch these unfortunate events.
It is paramount that we also recognise that the United Kingdom is not exempt from state-sanctioned racism. Black people in the UK disproportionately suffer from the use of police force and are more likely to be sent to prison than white offenders. Skin colour made akin to criminality has robbed black people of their livelihoods. The sparse duty of care from the state has been highlighted with the British Transport Police’s dismissal of the investigation surrounding Belly Mujinga’s death from Corvid-19 after having been spat at, at work.
Said Hertmere Labour’s BAME Officers, Kumail Jaffer and Elodie Mayo: “There will be much discussion around these issues, especially online and on social media. We strongly encourage everyone to watch, listen and educate themselves on these issues in the UK, America and around the world. We also urge you to counter the ‘All Lives Matter’ rebuttal, reminding yourselves that justice cannot be achieved until everyone is free. Racism is not a matter of opinion, it is a toxic social belief that ultimately kills.”
The Labour Party is built on an ethos of equality, tolerance and justice and it believes that everyone should speak up and take action whenever bigotry rears its ugly head.
Continued Elodie: “We encourage you to visit the Black Lives Matter website, sign the Belly Mujinga petition or donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.