We need to talk about Black Lives Matter
by Andrew Doyle, spiked:
The tidal wave of woke sentiment, unleashed in the name of anti-racism, threatens the very foundations of liberal democracy.
At times of heightened emotion, discussion is always difficult. It is impossible to see the footage of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer without feeling anger at this utter disregard for human life. The police are uniquely licensed to use force against citizens in the interests of upholding law and order, and so it is essential that we are vigilant against abuses of this power. Any instances of police brutality or racism need to be opposed with vigour, and the peaceful protesters who have done so deserve our support.
Such campaigns are inevitably undermined when they are hijacked by ideological groups with other agendas, or those who resort to violence. The ensuing confusion explains why in recent days we have seen major media outlets and politicians defending and even encouraging violent action. Some who have condemned looting, arson and physical attacks have even been accused of supporting white supremacy, a vile and disingenuous charge that is almost certainly intended to quash dissent. This has largely come about because activists, many of them white and middle-class, have taken the opportunity to exploit a worthy cause. The essential work of standing up against police brutality, as evinced by the unforgivable treatment of Floyd, is being obscured by a culture war that is freewheeling out of control.
Those of us who have urged vigilance when it comes to the rise of identity politics and the cult of Social Justice have now been fully vindicated. For years we have warned about the ways in which the culture war had the potential to infect all public and political discourse. But we were dismissed as railing against niche politics confined to campus common rooms and the dark recesses of the internet. Now the culture war has exploded on to the streets of the UK. If that sounds like a fancy way to say ‘I told you so’, then so be it.
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