Are Black Lives Beginning to Matter Globally?
Are Black Lives Beginning to Matter Globally?
By Sam Fouad・June 11, 2020・10 minutes
Photo by Karen Eliot
The United States is a country in turmoil. A supposed first-world country, the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the fact that the United States is a military state feigning to be a civilized nation. Of course, the United States has never cared about its minorities, but the punitive nature of the police actions against people of color only continues to be put in the spotlight thanks to the internet and smartphones. As the world watches a steady stream of violence, murder, and injustice coming out of the United States in horror, the people of Earth have simultaneously decided that this is the moment that their grievances towards police brutality and social justice will be heard as well.
With the increasing number of such murders by police officers making their way to the internet, such instances seem to have fanned the flames of social injustice taking place around the world. This seems to be the fan that ignited the embers laying around the globe into a fiery maelstrom. Social justice movements from other parts of the world that have already been dealing with similar issues have begun advising Americans on effective protest methods and have also been protesting in their respective countries for the same causes.
Nations around the globe have experienced and witnessed enormous protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, with massive demonstrations happening in at least New Zealand, Australia, France, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Greece, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. Not only have thousands of people come out in these countries, proving that there’s more solidarity for Black Lives Matter across the globe than among American political leaders, but individuals from other countries have also taken it upon themselves to share tips on effective methods of protesting.
Photo by Marc Celeiro Ecriba
In one astute example, a Palestinian woman shares advice on how to buffer the effects of tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray more efficiently. Some of her advice includes only using water if it is a steady stream as opposed to only using a little amount as that will amplify the burning that comes from tear gas. In another example from Ghana, a man shares how imperative it is to put your money where your mouth is. He explains that the financial bottom line is what America understands the most and that if the Black Lives Matter movement wants to succeed, they must stop using their spending power.
In addition to information regarding protest methods other countries are also showing solidarity through works of art and acts of solidarity. In Syria, murals of George Floyd have been painted on the ruins of the city.
Protests have also emerged in Tunis, as parts of the Arab world also reckon with the racism that exists in their countries. Although Tunisia was one of the first countries to abolish slavery in 1846, a law that punished hate speech and defined racism was not passed until 2018. Likewise, huge protests have also emerged in London, where thousands of demonstrators protested against George Floyd’s death and systemic racism. As one British protestor said, “I’m here at the protest at Parliament Square because I am a black British woman and I have faced a lot of injustice growing up and in the workplace. The UK isn’t innocent, they have just so much white supremacy, white racism that they’ve tried to ignore. I’m here to raise awareness about the issues black British people face.” In another example of Black Lives Matter protests taking root in the UK, protestors in Bristol pulled down a statue of slaver Edward Colston and threw it into the sea.
.jpg){kind=link}
Photo by Bastian Greshake Tzovaras
In Sydney, tens of thousands marched for Black Lives Matter and to protest the death of Indigenous people due to police brutality. As one First Nation demonstrator put it, “our youth are always getting picked up over nothing, cause they’re black.” Similarities in racially-motivated cases of police brutality struck a chord with many Australians, as the last words of George Floyd—“I can’t breathe”—were also the last words of Indigenous man David Dungay while in police custody. Furthermore, in Brussels, Belgium, Black Lives Matter protestors climbed onto a statue of King Leopold chanting ‘murderer’ and waving the flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he killed millions of people under the terror or European colonialism. Protestors also took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel, and attacked the U.S. embassy in Athens, Greece.
The murder of George Floyd by American police officers has woken up a world that has had enough of systemic injustices. For the first time in recent history, even white people around the world seem to have woken up to the realities of minorities, not just in the United States, but in Europe, Australia, and other places around the globe. While the vile, murderous Derek Chauvin was intent on extinguishing George Floyd’s flame, it is unlikely that he realized he was igniting a much larger flame – a realization around the world that many countries need reformation and that protestors can unite and make that a reality. This is the moment in which the Black Lives Matter movement truly became a global movement. ❖
More from Xeno’s Current Affairs Desk
