A Struggle Without Borders
The Black Lives Matter movement is gaining ground in the United Kingdom.
On August 5, the Black Lives Matter movement came to the United Kingdom, as activists blocked the main road to Heathrow Airport, gaining global media coverage. Members of the group undertook a similar action on September 6 at London City Airport to highlight the disparity between the freedom of movement afforded to some and the forced deportation of black and brown migrants, as well as protest the United Kingdom’s environmental impact on black lives locally and globally.
Jacobin’s Duncan Thomas talked to Adam Elliott-Cooper, a lecturer in sociology at Warwick University and activist with Black Lives Matter UK (BLMUK), about the need for the movement to come to Britain, the history of black struggle in the country, and the roots of racial oppression.
Duncan Thomas
Much of the reaction to Black Lives Matter UK in the mainstream media has been one of condescension and dismissal. Comparisons are often made with the United States in order to shut down debate — British police are said to be benign compared to their American counterparts, or it is argued that black people in Britain lack the sort of historical grievance that African Americans have due to the legacy of slavery.
Adam Elliott-Cooper
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.