Hundreds of Britons stepped outside their doorsteps last night to ‘take the knee’ and demand justice for the police killing of George Floyd.
Families, children and emergency services across the country showed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement by standing outside their homes and places of work at 6pm yesterday in solidarity with protesters in the U.S.
The campaign, which was created by Stand up to Racism, was inspired by the American football star Colin Kaepernick who took to his knee during the National Anthem in 2016 in an effort to draw attention to racial injustice and police brutality in the country.
As the clock struck 6 last night, families across the nation emerged from their homes to kneel on the ground and show their support for the campaign sweeping across the world.
Families in Oxford stepped outside their homes yesterday evening to ‘take the knee’ and show their support of the campaign created by Stand Up To Racism
Broadcaster and former Fame Academy vocal coach Carrie Grant shared a picture of her family kneeling on the ground outside their home
Meanwhile in London, a group of people were seen kneeling on the ground with a Black Lives Matter poster in support of the movement
Elsewhere two people knelt outside their home with a sign that read ‘Black Lives Matter’ in solidarity with the campaign
The scenes come as demonstrations continue to build around the world after George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died after police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck in Minneapolis on May 25 for nine minutes.
The three other officers who were also present at the scene, Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
A message on Stand Up to Racism’s Facebook page read earlier this week read: ‘On Wednesday 3 June at 6pm Stand Up To Racism calls on people to ‘take the knee’ on their doorsteps or wherever they are. This is part of a day of action in solidarity with the movement and to highlight the disproportionate BAME deaths in the Covid-19 crisis in the UK.’
In 2016, American football player Colin Kaepernick began making the gesture at the beginning of every game in an effort to cast a light on discrimination towards African Americans in the nation.
He told NFL Media at the time: ‘I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.’
Prior to the event, singer Paloma Faith took to social media to share her support of the gesture and urge others to ‘take the knee’ in a tweet which read: ‘Hi everyone, I’ve been quiet on here the last week or so. I’ve been focussing on Instagram but want to share to this community as well. Enough is enough. Black Lives Matter. #TakeTheKnee for George tonight at 6pm.’
In other parts of the country, fire brigades and emergency services stepped outside their places of work to kneel on the ground in their uniform.
In Hackney, London, Marisol Grandon, 41, and her son Oran Keith (pictured together left), 12, knelt outside their home in support of the movement and in Leicester Shea Pember (right) also showed her support of the campaign
In other scenes, Callum Richards, shared his support by kneeling outside his doorstep with a sign that read: ‘Black Lives Matter #TakeTheKnee.’
A group of firefighters in London take the knee during a Black Lives Matter protest in Brixton, south London, yesterday
At Finchley Fire Station the fire brigade service took the knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and to demand justice for George Floyd
Fire brigade workers step outside their fire station to show their support of the campaign organised by Stand Up to Racism
The London Fire Brigade also tweeted a picture of themselves taking the knee and showing their support during last night’s campaign
Weyman Bennett, co convenor Stand Up To Racism said: ‘Power concedes nothing without a struggle, we must overcome those refuse to challenge racism.
‘The 60,000 dead and disproportionate deaths of Black and BAME communities demand answers we want public inquiry. We can do this together and break a racist system so no one loses their life and everybody gets justice and peace.’
Meanwhile Sabby Dhalu, Stand up to Racism Co-Convenor, added: ‘We’re delighted tens of thousands of people joined today’s #TakeTheKnee initiative. But we cannot stop here.
‘Across the globe the anti-racist majority is making its voice heard in solidarity with George Floyd and protestors in the U.S. Many are also outraged at the disproportionate Covid-19 deaths suffered by BAME communities.
‘It’s a scandal that the government removed from the Public Health England (PHE) Covid-19 report the section on institutional racism.
‘We’re building a movement that demands justice and demands change, from the police to the NHS. We’re calling for a root and branch public inquiry that examines all factors, including institutional racism, that led to BAME communities dying disproportionately.’
Elsewhere in London, people take the knee and raise their arms to demand justice for the police killing of George Floyd on May 25
Prior to the event, singer Paloma Faith urged people across the country to ‘#TakeTheKnee’ and show their support for the momement