March will protest police brutality, violence against women and a controversial government bill
CAMPAIGNERS are planning to march through Cardiff city centre tomorrow to highlight police brutality and defend the right to protest.
The march is due to begin at 2pm outside Cardiff Central police station and end in Cardiff Bay.
Although it’s not clear who has organised the event, a poster for the march has been shared on social media accounts for local groups Extinction Rebellion, Save Cardiff Northern Meadows, Cardiff People’s Assembly and by National Union of Students Wales president, Becky Ricketts.
Black Lives Matter Cardiff and Vale (BLM Cardiff), who are also supporting the protest, said: “The death of Mohamud Hassan, Moiyed Bashir, the lack of justice for Siyanda Mngaza, and now the murders of Wenjing Lin and Sarah Everard have sparked a fight for justice all around the country.
“Families have been grieving, communities have been bleeding, and the public has now had their eyes opened to the brutality that these oppressive systems are using against marginalised groups.
“We as an organisation stand with everyone who has faced brutality by the police and has faced gender-based violence because we as an organisation want safety and liberation for all.”
This week has already seen two protests held in Cardiff, including a demonstration outside Cardiff Bay police station on Monday, during which attendees blocked the road and projected “Reclaim These Streets” onto the building.
Although “Stay at home” measures have now been lifted in Wales, outdoor meetings of more than four people from two households are still prohibited.
When asked about the planned march in light of remaining Covid restrictions, BLM Cardiff said: “The pandemic has made it impossible for some to join the community protests. It has also made some uncomfortable when the community protests at all during the pandemic.
“We as protesters are the last people to want to break Covid safety rules because we don’t want to take the spotlight from the cause at hand, and ensure that we can agitate the systems for as long as possible while ensuring everyone’s safety.”
The protests came following vigils last weekend in memory of Sarah Everard, the 33-year-old woman who was killed on her way home from a friend’s house in London, and Wenjing Lin, 16, who was stabbed to death at her family’s restaurant in Treorchy on March 5.
The Sarah Everard case has prompted a national conversation on violence and harassment faced by women.
Protests have also highlighted the UK government’s controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSCB), which if passed would impose heavy fines and jail terms of up to 10 years for protests judged to cause a “public nuisance”.
The bill would also introduce harsher fines and prison sentences for unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller encampments, and would allow for their vehicles to be seized by the police.
The bill passed its second reading in parliament on Tuesday and was due to be discussed at committee next week, but according to the UK Parliament website, it now has a deadline of June 24 for the next stage to begin.
