Black Lives Matter demonstration held in Shoreham: watch part of the rally

A Black Lives Matter demonstration was held in Shoreham.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

At 11am yesterday (June 6), around 100 protesters attended the rally in East Street, Shoreham, holding signs, clapping and chanting ‘Black Lives Matter’. The demonstration was one of many across the UK, including a busy protest in Worthing, following the recent killing of George Floyd by a police officer in the US.

Organisers said that everyone was socially distancing or in single household groups.

As part of the protest, a poem written by Megan Jones from Shoreham was also read out by her mother.

Mr Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, despite saying he could not breathe. The video of this incident spread around the world and catalysed protests across the globe.

Other protests planned for Sussex include rallies in Bognor Regis and Horsham today (June 7), and Eastbourne, Chichester and Brighton next weekend.

Here is Megan’s poem in full:

Black Lives Matter
by Megan Jones

I wanna do something, prove something
We want change, we want justice
White people -SAY SOMETHING
We want peace

‘I can’t breathe’
George died with those words, we lie in bed with those words
Black people live in fear, don’t wanna repeat those words
Black lives matter
Promote black business, I don’t care if it’s not your business, let’s make it our business
Let’s take control of this sickness

Racists versus the people
We didn’t want a war but that’s what it takes
When you won’t let us be equal
Looting and fires, voices strained
Black children feeling their colour is to blame

Black kings and queens don’t let your spirits be set down the path they have led your flesh
The very thing they have feared for hundreds of years, is what has kept you HERE
Your strength, your beauty, your talents,
Your creativity, your mentality, your physical abilities
Stand tall and next to you I’ll be, I scorn anyone who thinks they can divide you and we
Black lives matter, they always have
Now is the time we show them that