Thorne: Protests against injustice

Member of Parliament for Christ Church South, attorney-at-law Ralph
Thorne has lauded the efforts in Barbados to join the voices of those
pushing the precept that Black Lives Matter.
Leading off the debate on a private member’s resolution in support of
the international Black Lives Matter campaign and against anti-black
racism in general, Thorne said that the march which took place in
Barbados was not exclusively against the death of African American
George Floyd when an officer knelt on him for almost nine minutes, but
also the historical relationship of injustice.

“Why was it pleasing? And why was it so different from other protests?
Because we have had several protests in this country before. We have
several protests in London before, we have had several protests across
the Western Hemisphere, but now it reaches into Japan and young
Japanese are protesting against a history of injustice. And even
Barbados found it possible that the sons and daughters of the
Europeans, Africans and Indians marched together. What beautiful
humanity, how beautiful is human- kind when humankind is joined in a
common cause. To me that was a beauty of human conduct that was worthy
of emulation,” he said.

His comments came as he said the resolution he was introducing to the
House of Assembly was not “any reinvention of the wheel” as similar
resolutions against racism have been debated and passed in various
international arenas.

“... not least of all the United Nations, and it is not to say that we
regard the United Nations with any greater reverence that the other
international bodies – the Organisation of African Unity, the
Organisation of American States [and] the European Community. Several
international bodies across this globe Your Honour, have in the past
recognised the importance of these resolutions and they have
recognised the importance of a commitment and man’s recommitment to
the re-eradication of anti-black racism as it afflicts all corners of
this globe,” he stated.

The Government backbencher said that young people across the world
have reacted with the “voice of protest” to the killing of George
Floyd. He believes this overwhelming support for the cause has been
because of the violent and callous way he died.

“The nature of that criminal act encapsulates a relationship between
Europe and Africa... It was as if a minute represented a generation,
and I believe a generation is 33 years or thereabouts. It was as if
three minutes represented a century and nine minutes represented three
centuries of a terrible relationship between Europe and Africa,” he
stated. (JRT)