'The police will kill me before corona kills me': Two 18-year-old organisers of London Black Lives Matter protest say they 'risk their lives on a daily basis' living in 'so racist' UK
- EXCLUSIVE: 18-year-olds Aima and Tash are revealed as organising the London protests over the killing of George Floyd
- They have posted a series of hard hitting social media messages slamming Britain for being a 'racist country'
- Aima defended the decision to defy ban on mass gatherings, saying police brutality will kill black people before coronavirus does
- Chants of, 'I can't breathe,' rebounded across the Thames, the words George Floyd was heard gasping before his death as a white police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a week ago
- Thousands had earlier gathered at Trafalgar Square before making their way to the gates of Downing Street and then south of the river towards the US Embassy
- They have defied the ban on mass gatherings due to coronavirus to show their solidarity with US citizens
- Dozens of US cities have been set ablaze over the last week amid deadly clashes with police officers over the killing of Floyd, whose death is seen as a symbol of systemic police brutality against African-Americans
- Do you know Aima and Tasha? Email: tips@dailymail.com
Two 18-year-olds have been revealed as organising the London protests over the killing of George Floyd which sparked violence on the capital's streets.
Thousands of Black Lives Matter protestors defied a ban on mass gatherings to rally at Trafalgar Square on Sunday before making their way to the gates of Downing Street and then south of the river towards the US Embassy.
Today teenagers Aima and Tash were named as posting a series of hard hitting social media messages slamming Britain for being a 'racist country' and claiming that 'police brutality' will kill black people before coronavirus does.
Two 18-year-olds Aima (left) and Tash (right) have been revealed as organising the London protests over the killing of George Floyd which sparked violence on the capital's streets. They've posted a series of hard hitting social media messages slamming Britain for being a 'racist country' and claiming that 'police brutality' will kill black people before coronavirus does
TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON, ENGLAND: Hundreds of demonstrators were packed into Trafalgar Square on Sunday, chanting 'I can't breathe,' the words Floyd was heard gasping as a white police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis
On her website, Aima, who is believed to have spent part of her childhood growing up in the US, describes herself as 'teenage creative,' adding: 'I am a 18-year-old girl who lives just outside of London. I have a passion for photography and content creating as a whole.'
In a Twitter video, posted after Sunday's demonstration, she declared: 'You guys are saying that the corona pandemic will kill us, but police brutality will kill us first. I'm already risking my life on a daily basis. Corona's not going to kill me before the police kill me.'
In a video of her addressing the crowd at Sunday's demonstration, which was captioned 'A young black queen' Aima declares: 'The reason that I'm out here is that I'm scared for all my brothers and sisters. I want us all to spread the message that our lives bloody matter, black lives matter. And I'm tired of all the abuse and harassment and brutality from the police.'
Demonstrators block the road as they gather outside the US Embassy to protest the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis, USA
A man wearing a protective face mask kneels in front of police officers during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd near the U.S. Embassy
Armed police officers guard the gates of Downing Street where hundreds of protesters were seen holding placards, as well as an Antifa (anti-fascist) flag
Protesters react as a woman screams in pain as she is arrested and led off by police near the US embassy in London on Sunday
Tash, a student from London, told MailOnline that neither her nor Aima are willing to divulge any personal details about themselves.
In response to a Twitter post criticising protestors for not socially distancing, she said: 'The UK is so racist it's blaming activism on something the government has failed to protect us from since March.'
In another post, she wrote: 'When I was growing up, it was all my wh*te friends shoplifting and that… we learned violence from you.'
The teenagers have been described as 'the amazing sisters of this protest' who have been using social media to help build a supporter base across the UK.
The two young women have organised another demonstration outside the US embassy for this weekend while others they are involved in are taking place in other British cities this week.
One supporter tweeted to Tash: 'I am so f***ing proud of you, you are leading a revolution. A proud black young woman is leading the f***ing UK protests, you are creating history and I will be here to support you in any way I can.'
Sunday's demonstration was largely peaceful but led to scuffles between police and protestors. One group of officers were seen tackling protesters on Kensington High Street, with reports some activists threw traffic cones at police.
People carrying banners gather during a protest over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after being pinned down by a white police officer in USA
Dozens of American cities have been set ablaze over the last week amid deadly clashes with police officers over the killing of Floyd, whose death is seen as a symbol of systemic police brutality against African-Americans.
A source close to protests that are being organised in Britain said: 'Aima and Tash have done an incredible job. They are only young, but they've kicked off this whole movement and really tapped into people's anger.
'They've made it clear that they just want peaceful protest and that everybody needs to maintain social distance. That's not quite happened because people get very passionate at these demonstrations, but you can't blame the two of them for that. They are both amazing women.'
Following Sunday's protest, Aima was also interviewed by the BBC World Service claiming that she never expected so many people to attend.
'It was quite incredible the amount of people that came. There were all kinds of people there and that shows me that people in the UK are united,' she said.
She also accused the Metropolitan Police of being 'institutionally racist' claiming that she had decided to organise the protest because she wanted to 'take a stand.'
Aima claimed that British police 'looked at her differently' compared to her white friends and that it 'dehumanised' many young black men in particular.
Referring to the killing of George Floyd she said: 'I think it really made me take a look at the police system all around the world. I have always been focusing on institutional racism in America but it really made me look in the UK. I have realised that there's so much institutional racism in the UK police.'
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtODM3ODIzMy9Ud28tMTgteWVhci1vbGQtb3JnYW5pc2Vycy1Mb25kb24tQmxhY2stTGl2ZXMtTWF0dGVyLXByb3Rlc3QtcmV2ZWFsZWQuaHRtbNIBf2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtODM3ODIzMy9hbXAvVHdvLTE4LXllYXItb2xkLW9yZ2FuaXNlcnMtTG9uZG9uLUJsYWNrLUxpdmVzLU1hdHRlci1wcm90ZXN0LXJldmVhbGVkLmh0bWw?oc=5
2020-06-02 04:03:48Z
CAIiEBjzahk5aHz7OfIgWyh-zkQqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowzuOICzCZ4ocDMN6YowY
