🗣️WE’RE LEAVING X 🗣️Over the last year or so, BLM has been having internal conversations about whether we should continue to use a platform that is owned by a far right-sympathising soon-to-be trillionaire. This summer, our reservations reached a tipping point. 🧵👇🏽 In August, far right violence against Muslim and PoC communities swept the UK – sparked by the false suggestion that the perpetrator of a tragic mass stabbing was Muslim. This misinformation was allowed to spread on X.

It’s #NottingHillCarnival!

After fascist race riots shook the UK earlier this month, Carnival’s origin story reminds us of the power of cultural resistance 🖤✊🏾

This thread shares some of that history and its significance.🧵 Notting Hill Carnival didn’t start out as just a party. In 1958, fascist groups like the White Defence League led five nights of racial violence against Caribbean communities living in Notting Hill and Nottingham. The attacks spanned August bank holiday weekend.

🧵Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Brixton uprising of 1981. It was a three-day rebellion in response to the repressive policing tactics.

It was initially sparked by Operation Swamp- a 10-day operation where 1000 people were stop and searched by plainclothes police. Following the uprising, The Scarman report (1981) was commissioned. The report found that there were a number of failures by the police, particularly in the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of stop and search.

#JusticeForShukriAbdi

As once again we see that the justice system is incapable of keeping black people safe from racial violence we’d do well to remember that Shukri’s brutal death illustrates not just racist bullying, but built-in failures at every turn in society.

A thread EDUCATION

The school, notoriously unsafe, is guilty of negligence and not acting on Shukri’s continued, racist bullying. Shukri’s family at times had to personally intervene in physical attacks, still the racist young person did not receive an intervention from the school.

At 2am this morning, in the cover of night, 13 British residents were forcibly put on a deportation flight to Jamaica.
On board were ppl who themselves had been victims of exploitation & trafficking, ppl who left pregnant partners, parents, children, friends, communities behind💔 This violent act has torn families apart unnecessarily and without due process. Our thoughts are with those who suffered loss and face increased hardship at what already is a difficult and distressing time.

As Israel moves forward with the annexation of the West Bank, and mainstream British politics is gagged of the right to critique Zionism, and Israel’s settler colonial pursuits, we loudly and clearly stand beside our Palestinian comrades.

FREE PALESTINE. Further reading below
👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

As BLMUK we have agreed that while we are not calling for protests, we will support people to protest in a way that is safe for them, as well as for our communities. We have put together some resources to keep focused on your health and your freedom. #HydeParkProtest Please take 2 mins to read through this legal advice.
DO write down one of these phone numbers on your arm
DO contact @GBCLegal
DO NOT accept a caution
DO NOT take a duty solicitor