Published 04 June 2020
 

The Labour Party LGBT+ Network condemns the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and we stand in complete solidarity with the Floyd family and the entire Black communities in the United States, here in the UK and around the world who are fighting against racism, structural oppression and police brutality.

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The murder of George Floyd, yet another unarmed black man killed by white police officers has once again brought the topic of systemic racism and oppression to the world’s attention. Many years of inaction and/or wilful ignorance about police violence, racial profiling, and injustice against black people on top of centuries of social deprivation and economic extraction have led us to where we are today with the world’s media finally beginning to pay attention to the systematic oppression of the black communities.

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Now must be the time for global action, systemic racism exists here in the UK too, and we as an organisation and through the United We Stand - Solidarity Network are fully committed to taking steps in tackling racism in our own communities. Racism is not something that comes naturally, it is socially, politically and systematically entrenched in order to divide and conquer, with real and brutal consequences for the black community. If we are to make any progress, it cannot be for members of the black community to deal with this alone, it is our duty to be allies in the battle that they lead, to defy, challenge and fight this oppression and prejudice every time it rears its ugly head.

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Both sides of the Atlantic share the same pain, anger and desire for justice, in Britain, black people are 40 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police and disproportionately receive use of force, die disproportionately as a result of the use of force or restraint by police, as a community are over-represented in the prison population and are more likely to be sent to prison than white offenders and also make up 8% of deaths in custody.

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According to INQUEST, there have been 1741 deaths following contact with the police in England & Wales since 1990 – with African, Asian and minority ethnic communities disproportionately impacted. The Runnymede Trust found that, between 1995 and 2015, no police officer was prosecuted over a Black person’s death in custody. As a result, as in America, there is a feeling among many that the police can act with impunity as they very rarely face criminal prosecutions.

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Black people have, for many years, supported all radical civil rights movements, including the fight for the hard-won rights of LGBT people. As a global community, we must step up and step up now for it is our fight too. As an organisation, we believe that the only way we will ever eradicate racism is if we stand united and support one another's community struggles, and together take a zero-tolerance policy and call out Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexism, Ableism and prejudice in all its forms.

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Monday was the start of pride month, marking 51 years since the Stonewall uprising when LGBT+ people fought back against persistent Police brutality and persecution. The uprising was led in large part by LGBT+ people of colour, and was inspired by the contemporary African-American Civil Rights Movement.

We only have what we know as 'Pride' today because of the events such as the Compton's Cafeteria and Stonewall uprisings and because activists like Felicia Elizondo, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera and many others fought for our rights. Radicalism and direct action against oppression has been part of our struggle for liberation, and we must show that again now, our community cannot remain silent on prejudice and oppression towards our black siblings and celebrate Pride month and talk of our support of the civil rights movement tomorrow

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Pride events across the country and around the world may have been cancelled or postponed, but Pride comes from our collectiveness, our unity and our resilience. This will never fade away.

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The Labour Party LGBT+ Network Team