by Siobhan Kelly
A
cheery crowd gathered on Turnham Green this last Sunday for a peaceful protest
in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Justice for Grenfell. Around 200
people gathered at the Green which is in the middle of Chiswick High Street.
quite a good turn-out for the affluent neighbourhood of West London.
It started as a small group meeting at
Christ Church in the middle of the green at 1:30pm, walking through the green
and lining up along the fence where it continued to grow. Local police were on
hand to ensure social distancing was maintained and the pavement kept clear for
pedestrians. They also fended off a motorist who stopped traffic to yell at us
for several minutes before giving us the two-finger salute as he finally drove
off!
Most locals were receptive, with many
stopping to take pictures and record video and some even raising a fist in
solidarity as they walked or cycled by. We had many motorists beep as they
passed the demonstration. At one point a Black woman walking down the street
realised why we were standing there, gave us a thumbs up and started to dance
along the pavement to the music the organisers played over a small PA system.
The demonstration lasted an hour. Halfway
through we knelt in silence for 8:46, the amount of time Minneapolis police
officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck resulting in his death on 25th
May. Once the hour was over most of the protesters left but a third stayed on
to continue to encourage engagement from community.
Talking to others in attendance after the
demonstration ended, they told me the crowd grew to the point that the line of
protesters extended back into the green itself. There is word that the organisers
have arranged for two more demonstrations in the coming weeks. So, if any of
you are in the West London area please join them in solidarity of Black Lives
Matter.
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