Social Impact / Bristol council
‘Our job is not to emotionally satisfy ourselves, it is to get political change’
Bristol has seen a surge of mass movements and protests over the past two months.
Despite the ongoing pandemic and lockdown restrictions, people across social and political spectrums have taken to the streets to make their voices and concerns heard.
From Black Lives Matter to All Lives Matter and the latest Trans Rights protest, there has been a noticeable rise in protest movements across the city.
is needed now More than ever
While a ‘mass gathering’ protesting lockdown restrictions in May was notable for the lack of attendees, the Black Lives Matter demonstration in early June say an estimated 10,000 people turn out to protest against racism and inequality.
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Read more: ‘No justice, no peace’ – Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol
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Asked about what this means for the legacy of the city in his latest press conference, mayor Marvin Rees pointed out that we have had periods of mass protest in the world before.
“The challenges in the face of that is that the status quo is very adaptable and very resilient,” he said.
“It will tell you it loves the planet, it will take you it is in favour of Black Lives Matter but then the fundamentals don’t change.
“You cannot get bound up in symbolic acts, you have to keep your eye on those underlying unglamorous drivers, economic, and political drivers of injustice in inequality.”
The mayor said there is a need for concrete demands and strategy from groups seeking to take place in mass protests.
He expressed empathy with those who feel strongly about issues, continuing: “Effectiveness is not always achieved through bluster, it can be emotionally satisfying to be on the front foot raging shouting.
“But our job is not to emotionally satisfy ourselves, our job is to get political change.”
Reflecting on some of the popular mass movements of the past, including anti-Vietnam war protests and Selma marches, Rees said he believes protests need to move beyond “just moral questions” to more nuanced, researched demands. This, he says, is an effective way of taking control of the change people want to see in order to not “disempower” people in these movements.
Without identifying specific wants or demands, the people dissatisfied with existing conditions won’t be the ones defining change, said the mayor.
Marc Quinn’s statue of Jen Reid was in place for just 24 hours – photo by Martin Booth
His reflections also followed the removal of the statue, A Surge of Power, by Marc Quinn, which stood on Colston’s plinth on July 15 2020, before it was taken down by the council just 24 hours later.
Talks are still ongoing about the fate of the statue and the cost of its removal, but Rees has said that in the grand scheme of things, hunger, wellbeing and the increase in unemployment in the city are bigger priorities than the fate of the statue.
Main photo: Tusko JJ Smith
Read more: Rees: ‘Fair and inclusive process needed to decide future of plinth’
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