The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has stated that she does not support taking the knee for Black Lives Matter protests.
Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari, she was asked whether or not she would “take the knee” in support of BLM demonstrations. She stated: “No, I would not – I would not have at the time either. There are other ways in which people can express their opinions.”
She also labelled last summer’s BLM riots as “quite a moment” that resulted in the police being “under a great deal of pressure”. She also said that she did not support the “dreadful” demonstrations that were associated with the organisation.
Asked one more time whether she agreed with taking the knee at all, the Home Secretary replied bluntly: “No.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel branded the Black Lives Matter protests "dreadful" and said she would not have taken the knee.#CallTheCabinet | @NickFerrariLBC | @pritipatel pic.twitter.com/rIHlVex4p3
— LBC (@LBC) February 12, 2021
Last summer, thousands of protesters took to cities across the country in support of BLM. Although some demonstrations were peaceful, many turned violent as demonstrators clashed with police.
In Bristol, BLM protesters illegally tore down a statue of the historical philanthropist Edward Colston, who was also associated with the Slave Trade, at the height of the movement in June.
Edward Colston statue (1895-2020) #BLM pic.twitter.com/KTd6Fs1egT
— Prince Of 117 (@l_marco117) June 8, 2020
