Toxic aftermath of BLM protests in Britain
Assessing the Aftermath of the 2020 Black Lives Matter Uprising in the UK: Five Years Later
By Inaya Folarin Iman
Picture by: Getty
Five years have passed since the seismic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis catalyzed a wave of protests under the banner of Black Lives Matter (BLM). The summer of 2020 saw millions across the globe rally in support of racial justice. The British chapter of BLM vowed to confront Britain's colonial legacy, uncover hidden structural racism, and tackle everyday racial injustices.
As we reflect on the past five years, it's crucial to examine the accomplishments and shortcomings of BLM in the UK.
The charged narrative that emanated from the US found its way across the pond, with British BLM adherents assuming a troubling equivalence between American and British society's socio-political conditions. Activists argued that George Floyd's death and the racial disparities he represented were prevalent in the UK. However, the lived experiences of ethnic minorities and the data paints a more nuanced picture.
A comprehensive 2021 review by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) shed light on this nuance. The report, chaired by Dr. Tony Sewell, assessed outcomes across education, health, criminal justice, and employment. The report concluded that there are undeniable racial disparities, but there is no proof that the UK is systemically biased against ethnic minorities. In many domains, such as education, certain groups belonging to ethnic minorities outperform their white counterparts.
For daring to challenge the BLM narrative that swept through Britain's political and cultural elites, CRED members like Sewell faced heavy criticism. They were branded apologists for racism, and their report was distorted as a method of gaslighting minorities and normalizing white supremacy.
One significant result of the BLM moment was the rapid adoption of racial identity politics. Post-protest, organizations and businesses scurried to "do the work," hiring diversity consultants, introducing anti-racism training, and popularizing tenuous concepts like unconscious bias, white privilege, and microaggressions. High-salary diversity managers emerged in the civil service, while race-equality frameworks took root in the NHS. Wales, with 94% of its population identifying as white and lacking evidence of widespread racism, aimed to become an "anti-racist nation" by 2030.
However, research on unconscious bias education shows it fails to produce any measurable behavioral improvements and may even strengthen racial stereotypes or stoke resentment. This assessment can be applied to the entire BLM narrative, with warnings that its perpetual sowing of racial discontent and adversity has, inadvertently, contributed to the rise of white identity politics.
While BLM advocates were motivated by good intentions, their approach has unintentionally paved the way for a racially divisive and fearful future. The CRED report argued that many of BLM's claimed achievements only account for further spreading grievances and warping the truth. The aftershock of BLM will take years to heal.
Five years on, it is evident that BLM was not the civil rights movement we needed. Despite tracing back to lofty goals, BLM was a dogmatic crusade that built on questionable foundations and fostered discord, sowing racial anxiety and sharpening social divisions. In 2020, BLM promised a reckoning; in 2025, we reflect upon the degenerative legacy of BLM.
Inaya Folarin Iman is a columnist for our website and the founder of the Equiano Project.
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The BLM movement's arrival in the UK has significantly influenced both politics and culture.
The CRED report, contrary to BLM's narrative, found that while racial disparities exist, there is no systemic bias against ethnic minorities in the UK.
The rapid adoption of identity politics, fueled by the BLM movement, has led to a surge in concepts like unconscious bias, white privilege, and microaggressions.
Critics argue that the BLM narrative, with its focus on sowing racial discontent, has contributed to the rise of white identity politics.
