[MB.]

Saying that you support Black Lives Matter but don't support its politics is a completely empty and ultimately performative statement, just like Keir Starmer taking the knee and then calling defunding the police "nonsense" (therefore showing he lacks a basic understanding of the objectives of the Black Lives Matter movement and the reasons behind them), or the establishment Democrats in the U.S. signing laws to increase police funding while wearing kente cloth

The murder of Black people by the police is political, and as such Black lives are political, so those who "support the movement but disagree with the politics" should just say they don't actually think Black lives matter and move on

[user104658]

Originally Posted by MB.

those who "support the movement but disagree with the politics" should just say they don't actually think Black lives matter and move on

There's literally no logic in this and a "political movement" that has groupthink as a requirement and no room for debate is unsupportable and dangerous. Defunding the police in the UK is a ridiculous goal that has been copy-and-pasted from the US movement where it makes sense, and suggesting that anyone who doesn't support defunding the police in the UK "doesn't think that black lives matter" isn't just ludicrous, it's actively self-damaging to the cause.

[MB.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

a "political movement" that has groupthink as a requirement and no room for debate is unsupportable and dangerous.

Calling opposition to the continued overfunding of the primary source of murdered Black people in the U.S. "dangerous groupthink" tells me all I need to know

[user104658]

Originally Posted by MB.

Calling opposition to the continued overfunding of the primary source of murdered Black people in the U.S. "dangerous groupthink" tells me all I need to know

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Defunding the police in the UK is a ridiculous goal that has been copy-and-pasted from the US movement where it makes sense, and suggesting that anyone who doesn't support defunding the police in the UK "doesn't think that black lives matter" isn't just ludicrous, it's actively self-damaging to the cause.

Advocating for de-funding the over-equipped, militarised US police forces is an admirable cause.

Trying to franchise that sentiment and apply it, without any critical thought, to the UK where the issues clearly exist but in a very different way, and where the police being under-funded is actually part of the problem, because "the movement says so" is dangerous group-think, yes. I acknowledge that ethnic minorities are horribly mistreated, I believe that black lives matter and will wholeheartedly support any intelligent effort to establish and maintain true equality.

I won't support ill-considered hive mind and group ideologies over independent critical thought. It doesn't help, and when it escalates it's actively damaging. Group organisation and protest is a great thing - when it's properly directed. Defund the police is well thought out and properly organised in the US. The same thing in the UK has no considered ideology behind it beyond "that's what they're doing over there, so..."

Supporting something as default without any scope for critical analysis is just dogma. Dogma isn't going to convince anyone to change anything.