PLANS have been announced for a Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protest in Crediton on Saturday, June 20.

Details were published on social media site Facebook, late on Friday, June 12.

It says that the event will be held from 3pm to 5pm, in Newcombes Meadow, the Crediton park owned and managed by Mid Devon District Council. It is unknown if permission has been obtained to hold the event in the park from the council.

The event, which now has its own Facebook event page, is being hosted by Mia Dendy, Madeleine Greenhalgh, Rachel Dendy and Maia Thomas.

Previous discussion on social media about a proposed event resulted in support as well as some adverse comments.

On the event page the hosts state: "We’re holding a peaceful protest in Crediton to show our support for the Black Lives Matter movement; create a space for black people to speak in their community; and to educate people on anti-racism and how they can support BLM.

"The event will be peaceful, socially distanced, and PPE will be provided for those who need it.

"Please bring signs and PPE - wear a face mask, wear gloves or regularly use hand sanitiser. Social distancing will be encouraged throughout the event.

"Q: ’Don’t you know there is a pandemic?!’

"A: Yes, of course. Social distancing will be continually encouraged throughout the event, by volunteers and signs, PPE is also encouraged and will be provided to those who need it.

"Some people aren’t comfortable or aren’t able to leave their homes currently; there are many ways in which we can show our support, one of which is by attending a protest, but this can also be done by showing up with our time, money, voice, and more.

(here’s a list of different ways you can show support for BLM: https://www.timeout.com/things-to-do/how-to-support-black-lives-matter)

"Q: ’We’re not in America though?’

"A: No, we’re not, but the UK is not innocent. Systemic racism is present in our media, education, healthcare, advertising, employment, the justice system. We are here to learn about and challenge white supremacy; create a space for black people in our community to speak and share their experiences if they wish, and everyone to show their support.

- black people are twice as likely to die in police custody than white people.

- black graduates are twice as likely to be unemployed than their white peers.

- black women are five times more likely to die during childbirth.

- 95 per cent of the doctors who died during the first month of Covid-19 were from the BAME community."

ABOUT BLM

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an international human rights movement, originating from within the African-American community, which campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.

BLM regularly holds protests speaking out against police brutality and police killings of black people, and broader issues such as racial profiling, and racial inequality in the United States criminal justice system.

In 2013, the movement began with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012.

The movement became nationally recognised for street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two African Americans: Michael Brown - resulting in protests and unrest in Ferguson, a city near St Louis and Eric Garner in New York City.

Since the Ferguson protests, participants in the movement have demonstrated against the deaths of numerous other African Americans by police actions and/or while in police custody in the United States.

In the summer of 2015, Black Lives Matter activists became involved in the 2016 United States presidential election.

The originators of the hashtag and call to action, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, expanded their project into a national network of more than 30 local chapters between 2014 and 2016.

The overall Black Lives Matter movement, however, is a decentralised network and has no formal hierarchy.

GEORGE FLOYD

The movement returned to national headlines and gained further international attention during the global George Floyd protests on May 26 this year, following Floyd’s death by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the day before. A police officer was film recorded with his knee on George Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

George Floyd struggled, pleaded for his life saying: “I can’t breathe,” until he drew his final breaths after calling for his mother.

A number of protests and campaigns about his death have been held in countries around the world, including many protests in the UK.

A number of statues of figures in history have been removed in the UK and overseas after claims that the people they honoured were involved in racism or slavery.

Organiser of the Crediton event, Mia Dendy confirmed on the Facebook page: "We only want this to be a peaceful event, and a positive space for us to show our support for the BLM movement."

Just a few weeks ago, the St Boniface statue in Newcombes Meadow was damaged with graffiti of a religious nature.

In addition, bonfires have been lit in the park and Winfrith’s Well was also damaged.

To confirm attendance at the Crediton BLM Peaceful Protest and for further details, visit: https://facebook.com/events/s/crediton-blm-peaceful-protest/961159520988493/?ti=as .