Friday, April 26, 2024
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Hundreds attend peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in Newbury

Paul Walter 1252 Views

Hundreds took to the streets in Newbury this afternoon to demonstrate peacefully in support of “Black Lives Matter”.

Local teenager Sam Morton organised the event on social media. Northbrook Street was full to bursting as marchers gathered with placards at around 2pm today. Chanting “Black Lives Matter”, the demo made its way down Newbury’s main street to the Market Place. 

The organisers directed the crowd to obey social distancing rules. These were obeyed, with many attendees wearing masks. 

A rally in the Market Place included passionate local speakers. One speaker said:

“We are tired of being oppressed…We are a movement that is going to change the world”

At the end of the event, organisers asked the crowd to “take a knee” and hold their right fists aloft. (See our main photo above). This happened during a prolonged silence in memory of George Floyd, the African-American man who was killed by police during an arrest in Minneapolis, USA on May 25, 2020.

The event was carried live on social media. A recording can be seen here.

Here are some photos of the event:

Demonstrators with placards make their way down Northbrook Street
Demonstrators passing the Town Hall. Speeches later took place from the steps of the hall.
This demonstrator had written a placard including many of the names of black people who have suffered injustices.

 

Some demonstrators listened to the speeches live on their phones. Social distancing meant that many were far from the speakers and could not hear well.

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