Star Wars actor John Boyega takes part in a Black Lives Matter Demonstration in Hyde Park, London on June 3, 2020. Thousands of protesters gathered in central London on Wednesday to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the US, which were sparked by the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, was filmed gasping for air and pleading for breath as Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on his neck for around nine minutes.
Tens of thousands marched in London today, to protest the death of George Floyd and racism in the UK.
John Boyega rallied crowds at Hyde Park, telling demonstrators that “now is the time” to demand racial equality. He said: “Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process. We don’t know what George Floyd could have achieved.”
George Floyd, died last week in Minneapolis after a police officer, Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on his neck for at least eight minutes while arresting him for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 note in a shop.
John Boyega’s Instagram live was one of the first things that sparked an uproar about George Floyd among celebrities, but he didn’t stop there.
The Hollywood star shared a passionate speech at the demonstration. He said: “I’m speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f*** that”.
He also named two other black Americans who died in the US, as well as the racist UK murder of Stephen Lawrence. He said:
We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence.
I need you to understand how painful this s*** is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing and that isn’t the case anymore, that was never the case anymore.
He also spoke directly to black men, who he said had a special part to play in supporting their families:
This message is specifically for black men, black men we need to take care of our black women. They are our hearts, they are our future, we cannot demonise our own, we are the pillars of the family. Imagine this: a nation that is set up with individual families that are thriving, that are healthy, that communicate, that raise their children in love, have a better rate of becoming better human beings, and that’s what we need to create. Black men, it starts with you. It’s done man, we can’t be trash no more. We have to be better.
Source: Bellanaija
