Today a large spontaneous protest made its way through Waterford City for #BlackLivesMatter. Made up of mostly young people, there was a dance break in the middle, #JusticeForGeorge chants, #EndDirectProvision chants and #JusticeForTega chants.
Tega is a local 17 year old lad who was attacked with acid, and his two attackers went free.
The Gardaí made the wrong decision by forcing the official socially distanced #BlackLivesMatter vigil to be cancelled.
They knew it going to happen anyway. Surely having 40 stewards, proper direction and clear health and safety plans would have been safer. It worked well in other counties today such as Galway, Monaghan and Belfast to name some. People made it clear they wanted to do something. The Gardaí made it unsafe by intimidating organisers and forcing them to cancelling it.
I just think it’s a bit mad that people can talk about being disappointed by this but not about the lack of health and safety that people in direct provision and meat factories have had to face everyday since covid broke out. Everyday for months!
Is it because the people in those two places are all or are mostly migrants? Were they not worth your outrage? Think about that.