"This is not just about the killing of one man" Maajid Nawaz calls out UK systematic racism
7 June 2020, 16:20 | Updated: 7 June 2020, 20:30
Maajid on protests and systemic racism following BLM protests
The death of George Floyd was the spark that ignited demonstrations in the UK against racism and inequality.
Maajid Nawaz began the show today by addressing a study that showed that the disproportionate effects of lockdown on the BAME community could have led to anti-racism protests intensifying.
Maajid has been vocal about how lockdown has affected minorities and reiterated that "black and minority communities have been more severely affected by the pandemic." He went further still to state that "George Floyd was killed during lockdown" and listed out brutalities inflicted on minorities in the UK during lockdown, such as a "black woman who was fined £600 because she couldn't produce ID".
He stated that the Black Lives Matter protests in the UK have been a direct impact of the inequality seen through lockdown. "There are frustrations bubbling over because lockdown has magnified them" he said.
Maajid added that "there are systemic issues at play" in the protests and noted that the images we are seeing across the UK this weekend are "not just about the killing of one man."
He added that if people believe the outcry seen in the UK is because of the death of George Floyd in the US "you are missing the point."
"If you are not seeking to understand the point, if you're not trying to understand why otherwise intelligent individuals are saying hear us and listen to what we're trying to say then I say you're lacking empathy" Maajid said in a powerful statement.
He went further to show how the question of racism in the UK is just as important as it is in the US, referencing an article written by Sajid Javid on racism in a Sunday newspaper.
Maajid took from the article figures that showed that "we have more black men in prison in Britain than in America" by head of population and it is facts like these that show the anger of British minorities at these protests.
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