In a new interview, Home Secretary Priti Patel has referred to the Black Lives Matter protests which took place last year as “dreadful”, and added that she wouldn’t take the knee in support of the movement.
During an interview with LBC Radio today (February 12), Patel was asked if she would take the knee – like other sports stars have been doing – to protest injustice to which she responded: “No I would not. There are other ways in which people can express their opinions.”
Speaking on the Black Lives Matter protests last year, Patel said: “Last summer was quite a moment with all the protest that we saw taking place.
“We saw policing as well coming under a great deal of pressure from some of the protests. I don’t support protest and I also did not support the protests that were associated…”.
She was then interrupted by host Nick Ferrari who asked her to confirm if she meant she doesn’t support all protests, which she followed by clarifying she was referring to the “dreadful” BLM demonstrations last year.
“Those protests were dreadful,” Patel said
Last year following the unjust killing of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protests swept the globe and many demonstrators in England took to the streets to show solidarity for the movement.
Many protestors called for the removal of statues of slave traders and figured associated with colonialism and racism.
Discussing the targeting of statues, Patel added: “Protesting in the way in which people did last summer was not the right way at all.
“We saw statues being brought down,” she said, adding that: “Some councils making, quite frankly, a stance around statues and street names. There are other ways in which those discussions can take place.”
Patel’s comments come after a new landmark commission was launched in London to help ensure the “rich and diverse” history of the Capital is “properly reflected around the city”.
Click the link in the tweet above to see the interview between Patel and Ferrari.