BLM has made UK race relations worse
This week marked the one-year anniversary of the police murder of George Floyd. That horrendous killing sparked a wave of Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations last summer, in the US, the UK and around the world. These protesters were credited, by some, with raising important issues around racism. But is the UK now a more socially cohesive, multiracial society as a result of all this? There is mounting evidence to suggest that the answer is no. In fact, BLM agitation, far from being unifying and inclusive, has actually been a divisive force in British society.
In November 2020, a poll by Opinium found that a majority of people – 55 per cent – believed that BLM increased racial tensions. This view was also shared by many ethnic-minority Brits (44 per cent). Even Labour voters were more likely to agree than disagree with the view that BLM has heightened racial tensions in British society.
Fresh data from YouGov similarly suggest that the wider British public have become more negative about the direction of race relations since the wave of BLM protests last year. Whereas one in five people (19 per cent) felt that prior to the protests race relations were deteriorating, that figure has increased to 36 per cent for the period since. Only eight per cent of the general population thinks race relations have improved since the BLM protests. These figures are troubling, but they are not a great surprise.
