A second demonstration in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was held at Axminster on Saturday (August 8).

Midweek Herald: A demonstrator at the Axminster 'united against racism' demonstration. Picture Axminster UARA demonstrator at the Axminster 'united against racism' demonstration. Picture Axminster UAR (Image: Archant)

The peaceful protest, on The Minster Green, follows a first gathering in June after which organisers expressed ‘disappointment’ over some ‘negative feedback’.

Becky Smith, one of the organisers, said: “We wanted another event to show our continued support towards the Black Lives Matter movement.

“We have many avenues we wish to explore to raise awareness of racial discrimination to the public, including ‘town tidy ups’ and a public ‘question and answer session’ which will allow our community to understand the message we are trying to portray - ‘Axminster - United against Racism’.”

Fellow organiser Rob Robinson said: “It was great to see many new faces come along in support of our event.

“Axminster BLM - United Against Racism’ has now grown to 200 plus, together we will continue to make opportunities to educate the wider community.

“After our last successful event held in June, it was disappointing to have negative feedback from subsequent news reports.

“This makes it clear to us there is much more work to do within our community, to allow learning, to continue raising awareness of racial injustice and challenging racism.”

Imogen Killner, another organiser, said: “We are looking to create a leaflet that includes factual information regarding racial inequality, as well as a myth busters section.

“Unfortunately, the media often report misinformation regarding the Black Lives Matter movement so we must advise the public of this and feed in correct information.”

Organisers thanked everyone who took part or messaged support, and praised people at the event for sticking to the current Covid-19 guidelines, as health and safety was paramount.

Contact email: blmaxminster@hotmail.com Facebook: ‘BLM Axminster – United Against Racism’ .

* Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013. It is a global organisation which has among its aims ‘to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities by the state and vigilantes.’