Priti Patel’s attempts to discredit Black Lives Matter suggest she should not hold a position of power

It is a damning indictment of our society that a British home secretary appears to be more offended by the pulling down of a statue, and more outraged at protests against racial inequality and injustice, than she is by the suffering of Black British people.

It is an abrogation of duty for a sitting home secretary to describe the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests as “dreadful” and to denigrate the symbolism of “taking the knee”, as Priti Patel did this week. But these were just the latest in a long line of remarks that seek to discredit and delegitimise anti-racism efforts in the UK.

The ethos of Black Lives Matter was at the heart of the abolition of slavery, ending colonialism of Black nations, the driving force of the UK and US civil rights movement as well as eradicating apartheid in South Africa, to name a few. “Taking the knee” – these three simple words call attention to the racial inequality and racial injustice suffered by Black people. The action symbolises a peaceful and unequivocal rejection of injustice, exemplified by civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.

Patel either has an unexplained indifference to what Black Lives Matter and “taking the knee” symbolises or is intentionally discrediting the movement. Either way, the impact of her words and actions are the same. As home secretary, she should know this and if she doesn’t, she has no business holding a position of power in government, where her actions and words block efforts to end racial inequality.

Patel, one of the highest-ranking politicians in the UK government and of British-Asian heritage, uses her position and influence to gaslight ethnic minorities, including her own, which inevitably delays progress towards racial equality.

Remember, this is the same Priti Patel who was called out by Labour MPs for gaslighting. She claimed they were being racist to her because she did not “conform to their stereotypical view of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for”.

This is deliberately misleading. The Labour MPs called her out for using her ethnicity and personal experience of racism to delegitimise the existence of institutional racism. Those Labour MPs were correct, and the evidence of their assertions is proved through Patel’s actions, such as legitimising and enforcing foul government immigration policies.

There is no stereotypical view of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for. But no decent human being should use their position and influence to deepen racial inequality. 

Patel’s words legitimise prejudiced views by an ethnic minority and the support of actions and policies, which will put Black people at a significant disadvantage, denying an equal value of life and liberty to Black people. The legitimacy they give does not speak to the veracity of the issue in question. It simply emboldens racists and white supremacists so they think that their acts, words and views are right.

By castigating Black Lives Matter protesters and blaming them for the unrest, Patel is deliberately trying to rewrite history. Does she think we will forget that she referred to Black Lives Matter protesters as “thugs” and waged a culture war to trigger the far-right sentiments of white identity politics, before visible altercations between Black Lives Matter protesters and white supremacists?

My resistance to racial gatekeepers is purely about what they stand for, which is the continuation of the status quo and not the erasure of institutional racism and/or dismantling of white supremacy. It is their positioning that slows progress that could benefit the wider community of their race. This makes them dangerous and their actions an egregious act of betrayal to their race. This is why I resist.

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is a political and women’s rights activist

‘This is Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity’ is published by Headline (£20)