White man shouts at BLM protesters to ‘go back to Africa’ during demonstration

The group of mainly white men also reportedly chanted 'get your t*ts out for the lads' at the anti-racist protesters.

Protesters have been left ‘sickened’ at racist and sexist abuse they endured during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in a Hertfordshire town.

Footage of the peaceful protest, which took place by Hoddesdon’s Clock Tower on Monday afternoon, shows a group of predominantly white men hurling abuse at the demonstrators, with one shouting ‘why don’t you go back to Africa then’.

One protester claimed she saw Nazi salutes, while another said that the group chanted ‘get your t*ts out’ at female demonstrators who they called ‘c**ts’. Other videos show the group chanting ‘there’s only one Lee Rigby,’ while witnesses said they shouted ‘you’re fat and you know you are’ at one protester.

Hertfordshire Police did not confirm any arrests but claimed they are ‘taking action’ as a result of the protests. Pictures show how police officers stood in a line to serve as a ‘barrier’ between the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters and opposers – the latter of whom are understood to have shown up to protect a war memorial in the town.

Alice Johnson said when she arrived at the protest – which had been made clear online beforehand that it would be peaceful – she thought the space in between the two groups was due to social distancing measures. She quickly realised this was not the case and said the group opposing them was ‘really intimidating’.

Ms Johnson, who filmed the incident, told Metro.co.uk: ‘The first thing I heard was when the protesters were shouting “Black Lives Matter’ the others were shouting, “no, All Lives Matter” and that’s when I realised that there was a divide’.

‘They were all drinking, the more they had to drink the more vocal they got,’ she added.

Ms Johnson said following a series of speeches, the protesters kneeled for eight minutes in silence to mark the amount of time white Minnesota police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on George Floyd’s neck before he went unconscious and later died on May 25.

‘One said “you’re kneeling with the wrong knee” like that was used on George Floyd. It was just horrible,’ said Ms Johnson.

She added that other comments included someone shouting ‘all this aggro over KFC closing,’ ‘you lot are all dirty go and have a wash’ and ‘is it your time of the month, is that why you’re so angry?’

Ms Johnson added that protesters, who were mostly young women and families with the majority wearing masks, had planned a socially distanced layout in the area. But due to police trying to create a big gap between the two groups, she said it was ‘unfortunate’ that the BLM protesters ended up pushed into a smaller area.

‘We had to experience that for an hour and it was just awful,’ she said. ‘It made me empathise even more and want to support the Black Lives Matter movement even more.

‘There are people that have to go through this their whole lives and even an hour was bad enough.

‘What happened yesterday just made me realise how important this is – there are people out there who need educating.’

One protester said they thought there were around 150 people demonstrating in support of the BLM movement and calling for an end to systematic racism, while there were at least 100 who showed up to oppose their efforts.

Another protester, Darcy Hurley, said she felt ‘threatened and worried for our safety’ and believed the group used the protest as an excuse to ’cause some trouble’.

Ms Hurley, who said she went home ‘heartbroken’ and ‘truly sickened’, wrote on social media: ‘Call it naivety but I was not at all prepared for the large group of white people (mostly men) standing huddled together opposite the protesters having a “piss up” screaming and chanting against the protest.

‘No masks on their side, beers in hand, screaming at the protesters, “ALL LIVES MATTER,” “YOU’RE BORING,” “NO ONE CARES,” “GET AN EDUCATION,” along with lots of other vile language and abuse’.

‘We experienced ONE HOUR of being screamed at, belittled, ridiculed and threatened, which was uncomfortable and emotionally difficult but this was nothing compared to what black people have faced for centuries,’ she added.

Assistant Chief Constable Bill Jephson, of Hertfordshire Constabulary, said: ‘We understand that people of all ethnicities, throughout Hertfordshire and beyond rightly feel horrified about the death of George Floyd in America.

‘We as a Constabulary stand shoulder to shoulder with those across the country, and indeed the world, who are both saddened and angered by the way Mr Floyd lost his life on the 25th of May.

‘We will always challenge discrimination and racism wherever we find it and investigate crime reported to us and are taking action as a result of what happened in Hoddesdon yesterday.

‘Our county is home to thousands of people from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, and we want every single person to feel safe and supported by their police force.

‘The right to protest is well established in this country, policing respects the right to free speech and indeed, has a role to facilitate protest.

‘Recent events have made us more determined than ever to continue working closely with all of our communities, while learning and striving to deliver fair and proportionate policing for everyone.’

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