The Health Secretary has urged people not to attend protests this weekend if there will be more than six people there.
Matt Hancock used the daily press briefing to say: ‘Ahead of this weekend when I know there are plans for further protests, I want to say something to you as Health Secretary.
‘Like so many of you I am appalled by the death of George Floyd. I understand why people are deeply upset.
‘But we are still facing a health crisis and coronavirus remains a real threat.
‘The reason it is vital people stick to the rules this weekend is to protect them and their family from this horrific disease.
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‘So please for the safety of your loved ones do not attend large gatherings, including demonstrations, of more than six people. We all need to stay alert to control the virus and save lives.’
There have been large demonstrations this week in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, with hundreds gathering in London.
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Earlier today, people have got down on one knee for an anti-racism protest in London’s Trafalgar Square despite police warning that such mass demonstrations could be viewed as unlawful.
Those who took part in the tribute to George Floyd, who died at the hands of US police, knelt two metres apart in the shadow of Nelson’s Column, wore masks and carried homemade placards which condemned racism and brutality.
A placard held by a black woman read: ‘I am human that is enough.’
Other banners held by the protesters, who came from different races, also said ‘white people must do more’, ‘colour is not a crime’ and ‘no justice no peace prosecute the police’.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor earlier said that such protests should not take place under current coronavirus restrictions.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The health protection regulations are really clear that it is unlawful.
‘The Government said that for health reasons people should not be meeting in groups of six, so we would strongly encourage people not to come out and gather in these large numbers because they are putting themselves and others at risk.
‘And if they do come out, then we would ask them to observe that social distancing, think about those around them.’
His warning came after large crowds marched in London and Birmingham this week to protest about the treatment of George Floyd, 46 – a black man who died after a white officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck in Minneapolis on May 25.
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Video footage shows Mr Floyd gasping that he cannot breathe during the arrest by four officers. They have since been charged over the death which sparked days of protest in the US and Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations across the world.
Clashes have broken out between police and protesters in the US, with officers recorded firing tear gas and rubber bullets on crowds. Some people looted shops.
During the Trafalgar Square demonstration, Dee Ndlovu said: ‘I kneel because of the names and the voices that have been lost to the wind. I kneel for the ones who are not heard and the ones who do not get a hashtag, the ones who do not get pictures or a social media campaign, the ones who have been forgotten in history and time. I kneel because of them. ‘
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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vbWV0cm8uY28udWsvMjAyMC8wNi8wNS9ub3QtYXR0ZW5kLXByb3Rlc3RzLXNpeC1wZW9wbGUtd2Vla2VuZC1nb3Zlcm5tZW50LXdhcm5zLXB1YmxpYy0xMjgxMjM1Mi_SAWtodHRwczovL21ldHJvLmNvLnVrLzIwMjAvMDYvMDUvbm90LWF0dGVuZC1wcm90ZXN0cy1zaXgtcGVvcGxlLXdlZWtlbmQtZ292ZXJubWVudC13YXJucy1wdWJsaWMtMTI4MTIzNTIvYW1wLw?oc=5
2020-06-05 17:19:23Z
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