Andrew Allison, Head of Campaigns

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has horrified the world. Derek Chauvin, the police officer who pinned him down with his knee on his neck, despite Floyd clearly telling him that he could not breathe, cannot be justified, and it is correct that Chauvin and his three former colleagues are prosecuted. But that did not justify the scenes we witnessed in central London yesterday. 

I was genuinely shocked when I saw a picture of the protest in Hyde Park yesterday afternoon. We still have a right to protest; of course we do, but during the current restrictions we have to protest in a way that does not spread COVID-19. This begs the question: why were so many people allowed to congregate breaking social distancing guidelines? 

The following article is by Dr Timothy Tomkinson, a doctor currently working in the NHS. 

The other day I found myself watching Owen Jones on Good Morning Britain, as he discussed whether or not we should protest the visit of Donald Trump to the UK. By way of justification for this he mentioned, on this occasion and others, the fact that protesting is “a proud British tradition”.

At face value he is correct. Few people dispute the right to free assembly and free protest, and certainly it is perfectly reasonable to make one’s voice heard about an issue strongly felt. There are plenty of things to dislike about Donald Trump (as with many international leaders), but a there are three reasons we should feel some unease at this stance: