Content warning: Some references to racism in the piece below

When protesters in Basingstoke took a stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matters marches around the world, it sparked a conversation locally.

Basingstoke Gazette:

It came after the murder of black American George Floyd who died after being arrested in Minneapolis in the US. 

Hampshire Constabulary spoke out to condemn the officers while dignitaries around the town have also taken a stand. 

The town's MP Maria Miller condemned racism while the council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Partnerships Cllr Simon Bound threw his support behind those safely taking to the streets this week to call for an end to systemic racism and police brutality against black people.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Basingstoke Gazette:

The Gazette, the BBC and a host of other media outlets have covered these protests and events - both locally and nationally. The Gazette has written on everything from advice on how to help in the fight against racism to more detailed pieces about why these events are happening.

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Every time articles by The Gazette are published on Facebook, they attract hundreds of comments.

Basingstoke Gazette:

While the vast majority of readers will read the story without commenting and move on, a growing section of people have returned under every story to have their say.

And this group of people have not been happy about the prospect of Black Lives Matters protests in Basingstoke.

Basingstoke Gazette:

The comments centred on similar themes - arguing it should be 'all lives matter', arguing that this is an American problem, arguing that this has nothing to do with Basingstoke, arguing that George Floyd was a criminal and black people are more likely to commit crimes.

The following is a fraction of the comments denying racism and trying to silence calls for equality.

Basingstoke Gazette:

While the following comments were made in a public setting, The Gazette has chosen to obscure the names of individuals. This piece is aiming to tackle the issue head-on rather than the individuals.

Basingstoke Gazette: