Today the organisers of the Black Lives Matter protest were welcomed to the Council House and the young people, who helped to clean graffiti from the building, were thanked by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and Nottingham City Councillors.
City Council Leader, Cllr David Mellen, said: “Nottingham is a city where people from different backgrounds overwhelmingly get along and we want to reflect that sentiment at this particular moment. We want to express our solidarity with Nottingham communities who are rightly upset and want change to come, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in America.
“We recognise and share this strength of feeling and this banner shows clearly that we stand with them and against systemic prejudice that unforgivably still places BAME people at a disadvantage in so many aspects of their lives. Nottingham is a diverse and cohesive city, but we also know that racism and prejudice are not just issues in America, they are issues in our country and our city. We will not tolerate any form of racism, hate or prejudice and commit never to remain silent on these issues.
“The young people who tried to clean up graffiti after the earlier peaceful, well-organised Black Lives Matter protest are more representative of the young people in our city and give us all hope for the future. We invited them to the Council House so the Lord Mayor could thank them and show them that in putting up the banner we support them, but that this is only part of our response and our ongoing efforts to make our city more equal.”
Thank you to the team at Fastgraphics Nottingham for sponsoring and installing the banner.