'Recognise racism in your own backyard': Black Lives Matter rally in Christchurch

Sunday, 21 June 2020

About 200 people gathered in Christchurch for a Black Lives Matter demonstration on Sunday.

'Black lives, black lives matter.'

About 200 people stood chanting near The Bridge of Remembrance in Christchurch on Sunday, the second Black Lives Matter demonstration in the city since George Floyd was killed by police in the United States.

Speakers at the protest spoke out against racism in New Zealand.

The killing kicked off a wave of civil unrest in the US, triggering mass demonstrations against racism and police brutality around the world.

Speakers in Christchurch spoke forcefully against racism in New Zealand, canvassing topics such as Māori being dispossessed of their land and the need for historical education.

Kideste Wale, 20, was one of several speakers at the demonstration.

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Bidhya Chhetri, 15, recited a poem she wrote following George Floyd's death in the United States.

'A lot of people think racism doesn't exist in New Zealand,' Kideste Wale said. 'It very much does.'

Wale, 20, said she was subject to racial slurs in intermediate school. It made her feel hurt and alone, she said.

'We have to raise awareness for the next generation, because we don't want them to go through the same things we've gone through.'

Many people at the demonstration carried signs. 'Decolonise Aotearoa,' one said. 'Recognise racism in your own backyard,' said another.

Another speaker, 15-year-old Papanui High School student Bidhya Chhetri, read a poem she wrote after viewing the video of Floyd's death.

'Humanity has brought us great pleasures from time to time, but what's it all worth when we mistreat our own kind,' Chhetri said. 'Judging one by their face and colour, criticising while still blaming others.'

After the speeches, the protestors marched towards the Justice and Emergency Services Precinct.

It was important, Wale said, that the anti-racism sentiment continued after any one demonstration ended, and that people educate themselves about the Black Lives Matter movement.