Remembering George Floyd in Norfolk and Suffolk: One year on
Today marks one year since George Floyd was murdered at the hands of a white police officer
The murder of George Floyd one year ago today captured the world’s attention and sparked a global Black Lives Matter movement.
Killed at the hands of a white police officer, George Floyd’s death became a focus point for greater equality.
A viral video, which saw a police officer kneel on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes 29 seconds as he struggled to breathe, came to represent systemic racism across the world.
In the aftermath of his death, thousands of people around the world joined protests and demonstrations against racism.
The toppling of a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol catalysed schools, buildings and roads that celebrated such figures to change their names.
In America earlier this year, Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George Floyd, was found “guilty, guilty, guilty” on counts of second-degree murder, third degree murder and second-hand manslaughter.
Kevin Wingfield is a co-ordinator of Lowestoft's Stand up to Racism Campaign:
"If it wasn’t for the BLM movement, it seems unlikely that he would of been charged.
"Before then, it was completely unusual or unheard of for a police officer in the US to have to face the consequences of these racist actions."
However, while the murder conviction and the removal of slave trader statues may mark some change, some campaigners argue that racial equality in the UK has actually worsened in the year following the death of George Floyd.
"The UK is not innocent"
Kevin added: "There has been a whole spate of people who have died, people from minority ethnic groups who have died in police custody."
During 2019/20, there were:
- 24 road traffic fatalities from police pursuits and other police traffic-related activity .
- 3 fatal police shootings
- 54 apparent suicides following police custody
- 107 other deaths following police contact that were independently investigated
- 18 deaths in or following police custody
Out of the 18 deaths, one happened in Suffolk.
Three out of the 18 deaths were of a black person, which accounts for 16.6%, despite the black population only accounting to 3% of the population (according to 2011 census)
The Government's report on racism
The UK Government’s report on racism earlier this year which found “no evidence of institutional racism” in the UK proved hugely controversial, with the Labour party dismissing it as “cherry picking” statistics.
The report, which was commissioned last year by Boris Johnson in response to the Black Lives Matter protests, was described by Labour MP David Lammy as an “insult to anybody and everybody across this county who experiences institutional racism”.
Regarding the progress of race relations, founder of the Black Reformist Movement (BRM) Imarn Ayton said that the UK had taken “one step forward and five steps back” and described the race report as having "undermined those pivotal conversations" of the past year.
Ms Ayton added: “We were just about making progress, and now we’re actually going backwards, we’re in a regressive state."
The controversial policing bill
Campaigners have warned against certain powers proposed in the new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which could contribute to "systematic racism". The Government want to make it easier for police to carry out checks on people who have been previously been convicted of carrying a knife, in a bid to clamp down on violence.
Some have said that the use of stop-and-search powers (under section 60, allowing police to act without any reasonable grounds for suspicion), needs to end.
Between April 2019 and March 2020, Police carried out the highest number of stop and searches in seven years, with the figure rising by more than 50%. There were 6 stop and searches for every 1,000 White people,compared with 54 for every 1,000 Black people.
A week of action
One year on, protests continue to take place in the UK, with demonstrators calling for "justice" in the face of "systemic racism which exists in the UK".
Norwich City Hall lit up in yellow, pink and turquoise on Saturday night (22nd May) to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd.
Tonight, areas across Norfolk and Suffolk will come together to take the knee in solidarity.