Hundreds of Londoners protesting racism and police brutality toward black people in the United States are expected to pack a downtown park this weekend for what is being billed as a peaceful rally.
Hosted by the London chapter of Black Lives Matter, the demonstration at Victoria Park will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. It makes London one of countless cities across the world to stand in solidarity with American protesters, who have come out by the thousands to protest the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis who struggled for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck for roughly eight minutes last week.
"We are very adamant that this is a peaceful, non-violent protest," said 18-year-old Simone Schacht, who is one of five organizers of the rally. "We want people to be able to bring children or whoever they would like and feel safe. We don't want it to turn into anything that is going on in the United States."
In addition to many peaceful rallies in the U.S., the civil unrest has also led to widespread violence with looting, and buildings and vehicles being set on fire.
Schacht and her co-organizers were to meet with London police on Tuesday to discuss safety measures that can be taken during the three-hour rally.
"We have been told police are planning to close off the roads around Victoria Park for the march portion of the rally to keep everyone safe," said Schacht. "They are going to be there, unarmed, just to keep the peace and they want us to have our free speech and protest because it is our right, even during COVID, and they will just be there to encourage social distancing."
While the specifics of the route for the march are still being determined, Schacht said it is likely they will head over to nearby city hall.
"We are writing a list of demands to present to the mayor's office," Schacht said. "We are hoping we can make an impact for all the little kids and all the people that don't feel as though they have a voice in London. We are here to stand in solidarity with the black community and represent them the best that we can."
Schacht added that London is not immune to racism. She said she has received messages from people claiming 'racism doesn't exist anymore' and that 'it's not a real thing.'
"I deal with it by trying to share information that I have or have personally experienced with racism in my life to show them that racism is still happening and very active in everyday society," said Schacht.
She encourages white allies to speak up on the matter of systematic racism to help bring awareness and educate family and friends.
Anyone that plans on attending Saturday's peaceful protest is reminded to adhere to physical distancing guidelines and wear a face mask.
Black Lives Matter London has also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to purchase supplies such as masks, hand sanitizer, water, and signs for those heading to the rally. Any unused donated funds will be put toward future community events by the group. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $8,000 had been donated.