A group gathered outside Southend Victoria station on Tuesday 25th May to acknowledge the death anniversary of George Floyd in the USA.
The crowd ‘took the knee’ for nine minutes to represent the time Mr Floyd suffered under the knee of police officer, Derek Chauvin.
As each minute passed, the group counted in unison and raised a fist in unity towards the Black Lives Matter movement.
Organiser, Sorraiya Nawaz, noted it was important not to forget or dismiss George Floyd’s murder just because it didn’t take place in the UK.
She said: “George Floyd’s case is not a rare occurrence and the institutional racism it revealed is very much present in the UK. It is just a matter of time before the events are replicated in this country if nothing is done to fight against racism.”
Southend Council joined other areas across the UK to tribute the tragic event by lighting the seafront Purple.
The event, supported by Southend Council and Trade Union Unison, is just one of a series of events as part of a ‘Stand Up to Racism’ campaign in the Southend area.
