U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested that the British people “stay away” from ongoing demonstrations taking place in that country sparked by the death of George Floyd in the U.S.
During an eight-part tweet thread posted Friday, Johnson contended that the protests, though sparked by “legitimate feelings of outrage,” have been “hijacked by extremists intent on violence.” He also suggested that staying away was the “only responsible course of action.”
Calling the statue of former British PM Winston Churchill standing in London’s Parliament Square “a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country – and the whole of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny,” Johnson decried its vandalism last week as “absurd and shameful.”
The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country – and the whole of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny. 1/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should today be at risk of attack by violent protestors. Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial. 2/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
“We cannot now try and edit or censor our past,” he wrote after noting that, despite some opinions Churchill had that would be considered “unacceptable” today, he “was a hero” and “fully deserves his memorial.”
We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations. 3/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come. 4/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
The British prime minister expressed understanding for the “legitimate feelings of outrage” at the death of George Floyd as well as the “desire to protest against discrimination.”
As for the planned demonstrations, we all understand the legitimate feelings of outrage at what happened in Minnesota and the legitimate desire to protest against discrimination. 5/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
Whatever progress this country has made in fighting racism – and it has been huge – we all recognise that there is much more work to do. 6/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
“But it is clear that the protests have been sadly hijacked by extremists intent on violence,” Johnson wrote. “The attacks on the police and indiscriminate acts of violence which we have witnessed over the last week are intolerable and they are abhorrent. The only responsible course of action is to stay away from these protests.”
But it is clear that the protests have been sadly hijacked by extremists intent on violence. The attacks on the police and indiscriminate acts of violence which we have witnessed over the last week are intolerable and they are abhorrent. 7/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
The only responsible course of action is to stay away from these protests. 8/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
Demonstrations and protests that began in Minneapolis after Floyd’s death in police custody there have spread across the United States and overseas as well, some of which have been marked by violence, looting, and vandalism. (RELATED: Watch The Moment UK Protesters Chucked A Statue Of A Historical Slave Trader Into Bristol Harbor)
Earlier this month, Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with police outside Johnson’s residence.