No mention of violence, looting in definition of ‘protest’, just a statement, action

THE treatment of black people by police is an important issue but change won’t come from rioting, looting and hashtags, writes DENISE CAHIILL

Demonstrators attend a Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne to express solidarity with US protestors. Picture: William West/ AFP

THE definition of ‘protest’; a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.

It’s a “statement” or an “action”.

There’s no mention of violence or looting.

Yet people around the world protesting against the treatment of an African-American man at the hands of Minneapolis police have been assaulting and intimidating civilians and media, and stealing from retailers already doing it tough during the coronavirus pandemic.

To those people claiming they’re protesting when they’re just acting like thugs … STOP IT.

On May 25 this year, George Floyd was fatally injured after a Minneapolis police officer allegedly held his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck for several minutes.

An autopsy commissioned by Mr Floyd’s family found he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.

That Minneapolis police officer has been charged with murder.

People have since been protesting in streets all over the world ¬– Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Townsville, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. There was a protest in Darwin on Friday and one in Alice Springs yesterday.

The peaceful protests are making a statement. The violent protests simply draw attention away from the cause, away from the issue of the treatment of black people by police.

Locally, the event has drawn attention to Aboriginal deaths in custody and the incident in Yuendumu where a police officer allegedly fatally shot a 19-year-old indigenous man in November last year.

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The May 25 incident in America also has #BlackLivesMatter trending on Twitter.

The hashtag is prominent on Instagram and Facebook with people posting in support of the movement.

But do all these people know what Black Lives Matters is? Probably not.

The hashtag was started by the Black Lives Matter Foundation, a global organisation in the US, UK, and Canada, with a mission to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities by the state and vigilantes.

#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 after the acquittal of the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin’s.

On February 26, 2012 Mr Martin, an African American teenager, was walking home from a convenience store when he was fatally shot.

The foundation’s website states: “By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives. Join the Movement to fight for Freedom, Liberation and Justice by signing up for updates, supporting our work, checking out our resources, following us on social media, or wearing our dope, official gear.”

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The masses of people supporting this call to stop these acts of violence is admirable.

But don’t post it unless you know what it means.

Educate yourself on why the hashtag exists, the incident that sparked the Black Lives Matter to form.

Educating yourself will have more benefits to the cause than simply typing a hashtag and following the masses.

The treatment of black people by police is a massive concern and change is important.

But we won’t achieve anything with violence, looting and using a hashtag we know nothing about.

— Denise Cahill is the head of news at the NT News