The unjustified death of George Floyd has sparked a global movement as protests are happening in cities across the globe.
Hundreds of thousands of people are getting involved in Black Lives Matter protests to show support and spread awareness, including students.
Nottingham had its own peaceful protest on June 7, where many NTU students attended but our students have also been attending protests across the country, including Cardiff, London, and Manchester.
Manchester
Max Morrey, 21, a second year Criminology student, has recently attended two protests.
One in Manchester with a good friend, and one in Nottingham which he went to alone.
He said: “These were my first times protesting, but recently I’ve started to understand how important it is to be vocal about these issues to help raise awareness.
“Both days went really well, everyone participating did so peacefully and in very large numbers which was amazing to see.”
Nottingham
Mel Chilekwa, 21, a second year Business Management and Accounting and Finance student, also attended the peaceful protest in Nottingham.
Mel has taken part in protests before, and in previous years she marched in the city with tape over her mouth to protest against sex trafficking.
She attended the Nottingham protest alone and wore a face mask to stay cautious about the pandemic.
She said: “I think it was a good day and it’s so important to protest against injustice so that people in power can be held accountable and there can be actual change.
“There were speakers who were inspiring, and we also had an 8 minutes silence to show respect for George Floyd and all those who have died due to injustice.”
Callum Pipe, 21, a final year Computer Science student, also attended the Forest Recreation Ground peaceful protest in Nottingham. This was his first-time taking part in a protest, and he attended with his friends but remained socially distanced.
He said: “The day was an incredible display of unity, passion and love. It remained 100% peaceful throughout and for the most part there were reasonable attempts at social distancing and a very large percentage of people had PPE such as masks or gloves.
“Lots of Black speakers had time to share their experiences and call for action and an impromptu march happened afterwards around Nottingham with lots of people in cars and houses showing support.”
London
Nour Abuarqub, 20, a second-year law student, took part in the London June 7th protest, where the protesters marched from the US embassy to Parliament Square. Nour has previously attended many other protests, some in relation to Donald Trump, Palestine and UK politics.
She said: “I think it’s easy to look at the news and assume protests are bad news and that there’s always going to be some sort of conflict.
“However, I was at this protest for 4 hours and the energy was infectious, and the protest went smoothly.
“Everyone there was there for a common cause and that’s what kept so many of us going for so long; some even longer than me.
“It’s what makes attending protests so worth it in a time, where the news can make us seem so divided; and seeing the results they push through in higher offices is ultimately why we do what we do.
“This one was about amplifying the voice of our Black community and I hope we achieved that today, but we’re far from done because we have centuries of wrongdoing to undo.”
Georgie McMullen, 21, a second-year Fashion Communication and Promotion student, had never been to a protest before but she attended the protest in London on June 6 and 7 with her friends.
She said: “It was an amazing experience; it was so humbling to see a massive group of people all stand to gather and be fighting for the same things!
“Everyone has such strong and passionate hearts for the movement, and I am so happy I got to witness it, and proud to say that I was part of what I hope to be a revolution.
“I hate how some of the media channels has portrayed the protests, they were peaceful and respectful.
“There was never any violence or antisocial behaviour, yesterday the police turned up on horses and barricaded all entrances to Parliament Square and anyone who tried was shoved by the police!
“It’s a shame the media has depicted these protests as violent and like riots. I absolutely loved every single second of it, and I feel really liberated after it!”
Cardiff
Becca Cayford, 20, a second-year Psychology student attended the BLM protest in Cardiff on June 6t with her sister.
She said: “I think it went well, there were many guest speakers and an amazing display of solidarity.
“I believe it’s important to be heard and try to make a change to the racial injustice that is so prevalent in society.”
Jasmine Todd, 21, a third-year Education and Psychology student, also attended the peaceful protest in Nottingham at the Forest Recreation Ground on June 7.
This was the first time Jasmine had been a part of a protest, and she went with her housemates.
She said: “The day went really well. It was as the name suggests, a peaceful protest.
“I couldn’t hear very well because I was quite far back, but people were able to talk about their experiences, people listened and stood in solidarity together.”
By Laycie Beck